CAPTAIN   JACOBUS 


HE    REGARDED    US    WITH    A    KEEN,    FROWNING    GLANCE. 


CAPTAIN    JACOBUS 


BY 

L.  COPE    CORNFORD 


NEW   YORK 
STONE   &   KIMBALL 

M  DCCC  XCVI 


COPYRIGHT   1896,   BY 
STONE     AND     KIMBALL 


Contents 

I.  THE  RIVALS  Page  7 

II.  CAPTAIN  JACOBUS  23 

III.  A  DEN  OF  THIEVES  36 

IV.  ON  THE  ROAD  48 
V.  ON  THE  ROAD  —  THE  INN    AT 

FARNHAM  67 

VI.     ON  THE  ROAD  — THE    GOLDEN 

FARMER  84 

VII.     THE  BELL-MAN  OF  SAINT  SEP- 
ULCHRE'S 98 
VIII.     MR.   AND  MRS.   CUTPURSE             1 1 7 
IX.     I  BECOME  KING'S  MESSENGER         129 
X.     A  KING  IN  EXILE                          147 
XI.     THE  FRENCH   GENTLEMAN  WITH 

RED  HAIR  165 

XII.     I   TAKE   THE    ROAD   UPON    MY 

OWN  ACCOUNT  182 

XIII.     How  THE  ROYALISTS    OCCUPIED 

SALISBURY  TOWN  194 


Contents 

XIV.     How    CAPTAIN    JACOBUS     EXE- 
CUTED THE  KING'S  COMMISSION  207 
XV.     A  QUESTION  OFV  CONSCIENCE         225 
XVI.     THE  EIGHTEENTH  OF  APRIL          233 
XVII.     THE  LAST  NOTCH  ON  THE  SCORE  251 
XVIII.     THE  INEVITABLE  272 


Captain  Jacobus 


THE   RIVALS 

ONE  March  morning,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  1655,  I  mounted  my  horse  at  the 
door  of  Langford  Manor,  and,  filled  with  the 
blithest  anticipations,  set  forth  to  Salisbury  City. 
Such  an  occasion  befalls  a  man  but  once  in  his 
life,  and  it  behooves  him  to  make  the  most  of  it. 
The  weather  was  bright  and  sunny,  with  a  merry 
breeze  that  shook  down  the  yellow  catkins  upon 
man  and  beast  as  we  passed  :  the  countryside 
appeared  to  laugh  and  sing  ;  and  when  I  entered 
the  venerable  city,  it  greeted  me  with  a  spark- 
ling aspect  whereto  my  eyes  seemed  newly 
opened. 

Leaving  my  horse  at  the  sign  of  the  Sun  over 
against  the  Conduit,  in  the  High  Street,  I  took 
7 


Captain  Jacobus 

my  way  towards  the  Market  Place,  where,  just 
beyond  the  Poultry  Cross,  stands  the  house  of 
Mr.  Richard  Phelps,  at  that  time  Mayor  of 
Salisbury.  As  luck  would  have  it,  I  had  scarce 
gone  twenty  paces  from  the  inn  before  I  saw 
John  Manning  advancing  down  the  street.  Now 
of  all  persons  in  the  world  I  disliked  Mr.  Man- 
ning the  worst :  and  I  think  he  hated  me  ;  but 
this  morning  (for  the  first  time)  I  felt  I  could 
perfectly  afford  to  be  civil.  For  hitherto  John 
Manning  had  always  the  upper  hand  of  me  in  a 
manner  of  quiet  domineering  highly  irksome  to 
a  generous  nature.  Our  respective  fathers,  serv- 
ing under  the  headlong  leadership  of  Sir  Harry 
Bard,  were  slain  on  Alresford  field  while  I  was 
still  undergoing  education  at  New  College,  Ox- 
ford. But  young  Manning,  who  was  five  years 
my  senior,  had  fought  side  by  side  with  his  father, 
and  had  been  wounded  in  the  left  arm  and  shoulder, 
—  a  misfortune  of  which  he  was  most  inordinately 
vain.  Moreover,  he  was  a  very  proper  man,  with 
a  silver  tongue  and  a  pretty  trick  of  using  it ; 
while  I,  although  greater  of  body,  was  a  shy  and 
plain  youth,  with  no  such  mighty  talent  for  conver- 
sation. Time  and  again,  when  I  have  been  sitting 


The  Rivals 

happily  with  Barbara,  he  has  entered  upon  us 
and  put  me  to  the  blush  with  his  courtly  per- 
formances, till  I  was  fain  to  quit  the  room  in  the 
blackest  of  tempers. 

As  he  came  cocking  down  the  pavement  I 
perceived  that  Mr.  Manning  was  dressed  as  if 
for  a  festival,  in  silver-laced  silken  coat,  quilted 
breeches  slashed  with  crimson,  and  silken  stock- 
ings of  the  same  color :  he  wore  a  silver-hiked 
walking-sword,  and  the  black  love-lock  disposed 
upon  his  shoulder  was  tied  with  a  knot  of  silver- 
pointed  crimson  ribbon. 

"  Well  met,  Anthony,"  cried  Manning,  stop- 
ping and  holding  out  his  hand.  "  You  shall  be 
the  first  to  wish  me  joy  this  fine  morning." 

His  greeting  took  me  very  much  aback,  for  it 
was  precisely  the  manner  of  address  I  had  pre- 
pared in  my  own  mind  for  Manning.  Then  it 
occurred  to  me  that  his  attentions  to  Mistress 
Barbara  Phelps  had,  after  all,  expressed  no  more 
than  friendship  ;  and  I  shook  his  proffered  hand 
till  the  bones  cracked,  and  my  gallant  had  much 
ado  to  preserve  an  unmoved  countenance. 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  I  said.      "  And  who  is 
the  so  fortunate  lady  ? " 
9 


Captain  Jacobus 

Manning  smiled  pleasantly.  «« I  may  not  tell 
you  her  name,"  he  replied.  "  For  to  say  truth, 
I  have  won  but  the  father's  consent  to  my  court- 
ship. But  I  do  not  despair  of  the  maiden's." 

"  Why  here  is  a  singular  coincidence,"  I  cried. 
"  Give  me  your  good  wishes  in  turn,  Manning, 
for  I  have  the  maiden's  consent,  and  I  am  hoping 
for  the  father's." 

Manning's  face  darkened  suddenly.  "In- 
deed !  "  said  he.  "  And  who  is  the  so  fortunate 
lady?" 

His  manner  surprised  me,  and  awoke  a  sus- 
picion. 

"Well,  the  afiair  is  private,  at  present,"  I 
returned.  "  Nevertheless,  I  should  think  you 
might  give  a  reasonable  near  guess." 

"I  profess  myself  at  a  loss,"  replied  Manning, 
coldly. 

"  Why,  then  I  will  leave  you  to  think  over  it 
at  leisure.  Give  you  good-den,  Mr.  Manning," 
and  I  made  as  if  to  go. 

But  Manning  planted  himself  squarely  across 
my  path. 

"  And  where  are  you  going  in  such  a  mighty 
hurry,  Mr.  Anthony  Langford  ?" 


The  Rivals 

"What  is  that  to  you?'*  I  retorted,  losing 
patience,  and  attempting  to  push  past  him. 
"Out  o'  my  way  ! " 

Manning  caught  me  by  the  arm.  "  It  is  this 
to  me,"  he  said,  "  that  there  is  just  one  house  in 
this  city  which  I  warn  you  not  to  visit,  or  you 
and  I  will  fall  out.  Do  not  feign  to  misunder- 
stand me,  Anthony." 

"  I  shall  visit  where  I  please,"  I  said,  wrench- 
ing my  arm  free.  "  What  nonsense  is  this  ? 
Stand  back,  or  I  draw  on  you ! " 

I  laid  my  hand  on  the  hilt  of  my  rapier,  but 
Manning  seized  my  wrist.  The  touch  was  as  a 
match  to  powder,  and  I  caught  him  a  buffet  on 
the  point  of  the  chin  with  my  left  hand.  I 
heard  his  teeth  click  together  like  the  snapping 
of  a  trap,  and  he  loosed  his  hold  and  staggered 
backwards.  I  drew  sword  and  stood  on  guard, 
expecting  of  course  that  Manning  would  attack 
me  then  and  there.  But  seeing  the  people  be- 
ginning to  throng  from  all  sides,  my  adversary 
thought  better  of  it,  and  putting  a  laced  kerchief 
to  his  mouth,  he  came  up  to  me  and  slipped  his 
arm  through  mine,  as  if  we  had  been  merely 
jesting. 

II 


Captain  Jacobus 

"  Put  up  your  blade,"  he  said  in  a  low  voice. 
"Do  you  want  to  get  us  both  in  jail,  you 
madman  ? ' ' 

I  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  comply,  and  we 
began  to  walk  forward.  The  crowd  followed 
us  a  little  distance,  but  seeing  there  was  no  more 
sport  to  be  had,  presently  dwindled  away  and  left 
us  to  march  arm-in-arm  across  the  market-place. 

"  You  forget  yourself  strangely  at  times,  Mr. 
Langford,"  remarked  Manning.  "  But  be  as- 
sured that  I  shall  not  forget  you.  And  since 
you  will  not  take  advice,  I  am  going  to  do 
myself  the  honor  of  accompanying  you  upon 
your  visit." 

««  With  all  my  heart,"  I  returned.  "  And  I 
beg  you  to  remark  that,  for  my  part,  I  make  no 
stipulation.  It  doth  not  appear  to  me  a  dignified 
proceeding." 

Manning  replied  nothing,  and  we  arrived  in 
silence  at  the  door  of  old  Richard  Phelps's  tall, 
gabled  mansion,  with  the  squares  of  white  plaster 
between  the  black  cross-timbering  and  project- 
ing diamond-paned  windows.  Before  Manning 
could  speak  I  had  told  the  house-wench  who 
ushered  us  into  the  long,  low  room  on  the  first 

12 


The  Rivals 

floor,  to  inform  Mr.  Phelps  that  Mr.  Anthony 
Langford  requested  the  honor  of  a  few  minutes' 
talk  with  him.  A  wood-fire  crackled  upon  the 
hearth,  for  the  weather  was  chilly  ;  and  Manning 
and  I  stood  stiffly  side  by  side  with  our  backs  to 
the  high  mantelpiece.  We  were  careful  that  our 
respective  shoulders  should  not  touch,  by  the 
fraction  of  an  inch  :  had  they  done  so,  'neither 
would  have  budged  a  hair's-breadth,  and  conten- 
tion might  have  ensued.  So  we  stood  as  rigid  as 
a  pair  of  statues  until  the  door  opened  and  Mr. 
Phelps  entered  the  room.  The  Mayor  was  a 
broad-shouldered,  ruddy,  bald  old  gentleman, 
with  twinkling  blue  eyes  and  a  gray  beard. 

"  Why,  Anthony,  my  boy,  how  do  you 
do  ?  What,  back  so  soon,  John  !  Oons,  what 
hast  done  to  thy  mouth,  man  ?  Thou  canst 
never  go  a-wooing  in  that  guise.  Or  perhaps 
Barbara  will  help  to  make  it  well  again,  hey  ?  " 
and  the  old  man  winked  genially  at  me. 

I  was  resolved  to  take  the  lead  in  this  three- 
cornered  interview  if  I  could,  and  before  Man- 
ning could  open  his  damaged  lips  I  began. 

"  Mr.  Phelps,  I  have  come  upon  a  personal 
affair  of  some  delicacy,  which  I  should  have 
13 


Captain  Jacobus 

preferred  to  discuss  with  you  in  private.  But 
as  Mr.  Manning  has  thought  fit,  for  reasons  of 
his  own,  to  force  himself  upon  my  company,  I 
can  very  well  say  what  I  have  to  say  before 
him.  I  am  come,  sir,  to  request  your  permis- 
sion to  pay  my  addresses  to  your  daughter, 
Mistress  Barbara,"  I  concluded,  with  hot  cheeks, 
and  lips  that  had  suddenly  become  parched. 

"  I  have  had  the  honor  to  inform  Mr. 
Langford  of  what  passed  between  us  this  morn- 
ing," Manning  put  in. 

The  Mayor  comprehended  us  both  in  a  glance 
that  seemed  to  betoken  some  amusement. 

"And  so  then  you  fell  to  fisticuffs,  like  a 
pair  of  school-boys?  I  am  ashamed  of  you, 
gentlemen,"  said  he  ;  and  '  Manning  flushed 
darkly.  "  I  will  deal  plainly  with  you,"  he 
went  on.  "One  at  a  time  is  but  fair  play, 
Anthony.  Had  you  got  up  a  little  more  be- 
times, you  would  have  had  the  start :  now 
Manning  has  the  advantage.  I  will  have  no 
brawling  in  my  house,  and  since  you  cannot 
agree,  you  must  wait  till  John  has  thrown  his 
main.  If  he  fails  in  his  suit,  why,  you  may 
come  to  me  again.  I  will  favor  neither  of  you 
H 


The  Rivals 

by  so  much  as  a  word.  'T  is  for  Barbara  to 
choose  :  she  shall  do  as  she  likes ;  and  so  long  as 
she  is  happy,  you  will  find  her  father  pleased," 
concluded  this  exemplary  parent. 

This  was  what  I  desired,  and  a  great  weight 
lifted  from  my  mind  at  his  words  ;  for  I  had 
been  sore  afraid  that  Mr.  Phelps  was  set  upon 
Manning  for  a  son-in-law.  Nevertheless,  I  did 
not  see  why  Barbara  should  be  cumbered  with 
Manning's  odious  courtesies  for  an  indefinite 
period. 

"  Nothing  can  be  fairer,  and  whatever  be- 
fall, I  am  much  beholden  to  your  kindness,"  I 
said.  "  But  how  long  must  I  wait  my  turn, 
sir?" 

"  Nay,  that  you  must  ask  John  Manning," 
said  the  old  man. 

"  Mr.  Manning's  manner  of  conversation 
does  not  gratify  me,"  I  replied.  "  I  had  rather 
ask  Mistress  Barbara.  Your  daughter  has  been 
acquainted  with  both  Mr.  Manning  and  myself 
from  childhood,  and  if  she  hath  taken  a  fancy 
to  either,  doubtless  her  mind  is  settled." 

Manning  must  have  known  himself  defeated, 
but  he  played  a  last  card. 
IS 


Captain  Jacobus 

"  Perhaps  Mr.  Langford  has  his  own  reasons 
for  such  a  supposition,"  he  struck  in,  and  despite 
all  I  could  do,  I  felt  myself  flush. 

Old  Phelps  looked  sharply  at  me,  and  his  face 
grew  stern. 

" What  have  you  to  say  to  that,  Anthony  ? " 
he  asked. 

"It  is  true,"  said  I,  "and  a  breach  of 
proper  etiquette,  I  own.  But  it  only  occurred 
last  night.  I  am  instant  to  repair  it,  you  see, 
sir." 

"You  did  very  wrong,  sir,"  returned  the 
outraged  father,  angrily.  "  Here  is  a  pretty 
state  of  affairs.  It  would  serve  you  right  were 
I  to  forbid  you  the  house." 

"I  demand  it,"  cried  Manning.  "Your 
pledge  to  me  admits  of  no  other  course,  Mr. 
Phelps." 

"Does  it  not?"  said  the  old  gentleman,  who 
was  perhaps  glad  to  find  another  outlet  for  his 
anger.  "  But  I  am  not  accustomed  to  take 
orders,  John  Manning,  and  I  think  differ- 
ently. Come,  we  will  settle  this  matter  off- 
hand !  "  and  opening  the  door  he  shouted, 
"  Barbara ! " 

16 


The  Rivals 

Manning,  seeing  what  was  to  follow,  went  as 
white  as  a  clout,  and  catching  up  his  hat,  strode 
towards  the  open  door. 

"  I  fear  I  shall  spoil  your  little  plot,  but  I 
have  no  fancy  to  be  made  a  show  of,"  said  he. 
"  I  have  fallen  into  a  strange  mistake,  it  seems ; 
but  'tis  not  too  late  to  amend  it.  Give  your 
good-den,  Mr.  Mayor,"  and  before  the  aston- 
ished old  man  could  answer,  my  rival  was 
gone. 

He  must  have  passed  Barbara  on  the  stairs, 
for  she  entered  almost  immediately.  My  be- 
trothed dwelt  ever  in  my  thoughts  :  and  when 
we  were  absent  from  each  other,  I  would  please 
myself  by  picturing  in  my  mind  her  look  when 
we  should  meet  again  ;  and  still,  when  it  came 
to  pass,  her  beauty  struck  me  always  newly,  in 
a  kind  of  revelation.  So  it  was  upon  her  en- 
trance that  morning,  with  her  shining  hair  and 
blue  eyes,  apparelled  in  something  checkered 
and  dainty  of  the  same  color. 

"  Prithee,  father,  what 's  the  matter  ?  "  asked 
Barbara. 

"  Matter  !  "  said  Mr.  Phelps.     "  Why,  the 
matter  is,  that,  whereas  this  morning  you  had 
2  17 


Captain  Jacobus 

a  couple  of  sweethearts,  now  you  have  only 
the  one.  Will  he  content  ye,  my  dear  ?  " 

"  We  can  but  try,  at  all  events,"  said  Barbara. 

It  was  late  that  night  before  I  found  myself 
riding  homeward  under  the  stars.  My  way  lay 
across  the  old  bridge  that  spans  the  river  Avon, 
where  a  little  islet,  upon  which  is  built  a  chapel, 
stems  the  mid-stream.  The  roadway  of  the 
bridge  passes  underneath  groined  arches  which 
carry  the  chapel  floor :  on  either  side  a  stair- 
way rises  to  an  open  balcony,  which,  running 
right  round  the  building,  and  fenced  by  a  stone 
balustrading  of  foliated  open-work,  gives  access 
to  the  interior.  The  moonlight  glittered  upon 
the  swirling  flood  below,  and  sparkled  here  and 
there,  amid  the  elaborate  confusion  of  flying 
buttresses  and  pinnacles,  upon  the  tall  windows 
of  the  chapel. 

Riding  at  a  footpace  across  the  bridge,  I  had 
come  within  a  bow's  shot  of  the  archway,  when  a 
horseman  leaped  from  the  black  shadow  and  came 
charging  towards  me.  I  had  scarce  time  to  note 
the  glint  of  steel  in  his  right  hand  ere  he  was 
upon  me.  Hardly  knowing  what  I  did,  I  slipped 
from  my  saddle  to  avoid  his  onset.  The  rider 
18 


The  Rivals 

swerved,  but  I  dodged  and  ran  for  the  chapel,  as 
man  and  horse  collided  with  my  own  steed.  I 
heard  a  mighty  clatter  of  hoofs  upon  the  stones 
behind  me,  and  my  horse  galloped  past  just  as  I 
reached  the  archway.  The  moment's  delay 
saved  me.  A  dismounted  man  has  little  chance 
against  a  horseman,  and  I  took  no  shame  to  my- 
self for  running  away. 

I  sprang  up  the  winding  steps,  and  had  reached 
the  balcony,  when  I  heard  the  echoing  clang  of 
hoofs.  Peering  over  the  coping,  I  perceived  the 
road  on  the  further  side  of  the  chapel  to  be  empty  ; 
my  pursuer  had  therefore  dismounted,  and  was 
probably  at  that  very  moment  ascending  one  or 
other  of  the  two  staircases,  pistol  in  hand.  I  had 
not  seen  his  face,  for  it  was  masked  with  a  black 
vizard  and  muffled,  but  I  could  think  of  no  one 
who  bore  me  such  a  deadly  grudge  as  this  ap- 
peared to  indicate,  save  Manning.  He  should 
find  me  ready  for  him  this  bout,  at  any  rate.  I 
drew  my  sword  (a  long  Italian  rapier), and,  taking 
off  my  horseman's  cloak,  wrapped  it  twice  round 
my  left  arm,  grasping  the  collar  in  my  hand, 
allowing  a  yard  or  so  of  the  skirt  to  hang  loose. 
Going  to  the  top  of  the  steps,  I  listened  intently. 
'9 


Captain  Jacobus 

There  was  no  sound  save  the  stamping  of  the 
impatient  horse  below  and  the  jingling  of  his  bit, 
so  that  Manning  must  have  chosen  to  escalade  the 
fortress  by  the  opposite  stairs. 

I  reflected,  with  some  emotion,  that  my  enemy 
doubtless  had  pistols,  whilst  I  had  none.  Never- 
theless, I  had  no  intention  of  being  stalked  like  a 
beast,  and  treading  noiselessly  to  the  angle  but- 
tress, laid  my  cheek  to  the  stone,  and  stole  a 
glance  round  the  corner.  Sure  enough,  there 
was  Manning,  with  a  naked  rapier  in  one  hand 
and  a  long  pistol  in  the  other,  advancing  with 
the  most  excessive  caution.  The  moon  shone 
full  upon  his  upturned  face,  so  that  I  could  see 
the  whites  of  his  eyes  behind  the  black  mask, 
and  the  lips  beneath  the  bristling  mustachio  curl- 
ing from  the  clenched  teeth  like  the  snarl  of  a 
dog,  as  he  lifted  and  noiselessly  put  down  first  one 
foot  and  then  the  other. 

It  was  my  turn  to  charge  this  time,  and  I 
dashed  out  upon  him.  The  suddenness  of  my 
onset  caused  him  to  shoot  wide  with  his  maimed 
arm,  as  I  had  hoped  and  prayed,  and  I  heard  the 
bullet  sing  past  my  head.  Manning  thereupon 
thrust  at  me  swiftly,  but  with  an  old  trick  of  the 


The  Rivals 

fencing-school  I  entangled  his  blade  in  my  heavy 
cloak,  and  catching  the  hilt  with  my  left  hand, 
tore  it  from  his  grasp,  at  the  same  time  lunging 
forward  till  my  right  foot  was  behind  my  adver- 
sary's back.  He  was  thus  at  my  mercy  ;  but  I 
had  never  killed  a  man  at  that  time,  and  my 
blood  turned  from  the  deed.  I  have  never  ceased 
to  regret  my  surrender  to  that  womanish  impulse. 
As  it  was,  I  girt  him  round  the  lower  ribs,  and 
began  to  squeeze  the  breath  out  of  him.  Man- 
ning sobbed  and  struggled  and  swore,  but  his 
arms  were  pinioned,  and  I  was  the  stronger  man. 
So  soon  as  he  was  quiet  I  let  him  drop,  and  he  lay 
gasping.  Then  I  picked  up  his  sword  and  snapped 
it  across  my  knee  :  his  pistols  I  stuck  in  my  belt, 
and  stood  a  paternoster- while  to  fetch  my  breath. 
"  Look  you,  John  Manning,"  I  said  pres- 
ently. "  We  will  call  quits,  and  no  squares 
broke.  But  I  have  just  one  word  to  say. 
Mark  me,  if  ever  I  meet  you  within  sight  of 
Salisbury  Cathedral  spire  again,  may  I  be  judged 
by  the  Four  Evangelists,  but  I  will  fight  you. 
You  had  best  be  packing  before  daylight,  for  I 
am  about  pretty  betimes.  I  wish  you  joy,  John 
Manning." 

21 


Captain  Jacobus 

With  that  I  left  him,  and  started  to  walk  to 
Langford  Manor:  but  I  had  not  gone  far  be- 
fore I  came  upon  my  horse,  cropping  the  hedge  ; 
and  mounting,  I  rode  home,  and  so  to  bed,  to 
dream  of  Barbara. 


22 


II 

CAPTAIN  JACOBUS 

NEXT  day,  and  for  several  days  afterwards,  I 
rose  very  betimes  to  transact  the  affairs  of 
my  estate  with  my  steward,  then  rode  away  hot- 
foot to  Salisbury,  to  the  house  of  Mayor  Phelps. 
Looking  back  upon  that  brief  period  of  felicity, 
I  see  a  rich  procession  of  sunny  hours,  musical 
with  the  falling  chimes  of  the  towering  Cathe- 
dral, during  which  we  found  such  happiness 
that  I  sometimes  felt  afraid.  I  could  not  think 
that  I  had  earned  such  fortune,  and  I  doubted 
whether  God  would  allow  it ;  and,  indeed,  after- 
events  put  some  color  on  this  reasoning. 

My  betrothed  was  an  only  child  :  her  father, 
old  Richard  Phelps,  was  a  master  cutler,  and 
(so  it  was  said)  had  amassed  a  pretty  fortune  in 
his  business.  How  much  it  was  I  did  not 
know,  and  took  no  pains  to  discover ;  but  when 
we  came  to  discuss  marriage  settlements,  the  old 
23 


Captain  Jacobus 

man  told  me  he  would  dower  his  daughter  with 
three  thousand  pounds.  My  own  estate  of 
Langford  Manor,  although  much  impaired  and 
impoverished  during  the  Civil  Wars,  was  yet 
sufficient ;  and  there  seemed  no  reason  why  we 
should  not  marry  out  of  hand.  But  Barbara,  it 
appeared,  had  a  great  equipment  of  garments 
to  buy  or  to  make  ;  and  although  I  could  never 
apprehend  the  force  of  the  argument,  some  de- 
lay appeared  inevitable.  At  length,  however, 
the  wedding  was  settled  for  the  1 8th  of  April, 
and,  like  a  schoolboy,  I  put  up  a  calendar  over 
my  bed's  head,  and  scored  out  a  date  every 
morning.  And  in  my  voyages  to  and  fro  I 
rode  very  circumspectly,  in  case  some  accident 
should  befall  me. 

There  was  scarce  a  month  to  run  before  the 
day  appointed,  when  destiny  fulfilled  my  fear- 
ful expectations  at  a  blow.  Riding  homeward 
in  the  moonlight  across  country,  as  I  topped  the 
bare  down  that  shelters  Langford  village  I  was 
aware  of  a  horseman  galloping  along  the  ridge 
towards  me.  Remembering  Mr.  Manning's 
former  exploit,  I  drew  rein,  and,  putting  my- 
self in  a  posture  of  defence,  awaited  the  rider, 
24 


Captain  Jacobus 

who  thereupon  slackened  speed,  so  that  I  had 
time  to  observe  him  as  he  drew  near.  But  the 
stranger  was  a  smaller  man  than  Manning, 
bestriding  a  huge  roan  horse,  and  carrying  an 
arquebus  slung  across  his  shoulders,  besides 
pistols  in  his  holsters,  and  a  French  riding- 
sword. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  address  Mr.  Anthony 
Langford,  of  Langford  Manor,  I  believe?" 
said  he,  reining  up  and  removing  his  black 
montero-cap,  with  a  very  courtly  gesture. 

"  At  your  service,  sir,"  I  replied,  saluting 
him  in  turn.  The  stranger  had  a  quick  military 
manner  of  utterance,  and  before  the  words  were 
out  of  my  mouth  he  continued  earnestly  :  — 

"  Then  will  you  do  me  the  favor,  Mr. 
Langford,  to  ride  with  me  a  little  way  ?  I 
have  somewhat  to  say  to  you.  Oh,  yes,"  he 
added,  as  I  hesitated,  "  y'are  perfectly  right : 
I  am  a  highwayman,  'tis  true;  but  I  am  not 
here  to  rob  you,  nevertheless.  Why,  you  and 
I  have  met  before,  sir.  Have  you  forgotten 
Captain  Jacobus?" 

I  had  not ;  and  now  I  knew  why  I  remem- 
bered mistily  the  square,  strong  face,  with  its 
25 


Captain  Jacobus 

great  jaw  and  long  nose  hooking  over  the  curl- 
ing mustachio.  For  one  night,  before  my 
mother  died,  she  and  I  were  driving  home- 
wards in  our  great  family  coach  over  the  downs. 
I  was  barely  in  my  teens,  but  I  could  fence  a 
bit,  and  shoot  at  a  mark ;  and  sitting  by  my 
mother,  with  my  arm  round  her  waist  as  the 
huge  vehicle  swung  and  jolted  over  the  ruts, 
and  my  little  sword  between  my  knees,  I  felt 
myself  a  match  for  a  whole  band  of  robbers. 
But  I  must  have  forgotten  my  wardship  and 
fallen  on  sleep,  for  I  awoke  with  a  start,  as  the 
coach  stopped  suddenly,  to  see  the  dark  figure 
of  a  horseman  abreast  of  the  window.  My 
mother  bade  me  sit  still ;  and  the  highwayman 
swung  himself  from  his  horse  and  leaned  over 
the  sill. 

"Madam,"  he  began,  but  got  no  further, 
for  my  mother  cried  out  in  astonishment. 

"Sir  Clipseby  Carew  !  "   she  exclaimed. 

"No,  not  now,"  he  returned.  "Captain 
Jacobus,  Alicia,  at  your  service." 

They  conversed  together  for  a  while  in  the 
French  tongue,  a  language  of  which  I  had  but 
small  understanding;  then  the  Captain  kissed 
26 


Captain  Jacobus 

my  mother's  hand,  and  rode  away  into  the 
night.  When  I  asked  my  mother  who  was 
the  strange  man,  she  told  me  how  Sir  Clipseby 
Carew  was  an  old  friend  of  hers  ;  and  how  the 
Parliament-men  had  robbed  him  of  his  estates, 
obliging  him  to  change  his  name  and  to  take 
to  the  road  for  a  living,  like  many  another 
Cavalier  at  that  unhappy  time.  The  incident 
engraved  itself  upon  my  boyish  imagination,  so 
that  for  a  long  time  the  Captain  used  often  to 
ride  through  the  mazes  of  my  dreams ;  and 
ever  since,  rumors  of  his  exploits  had  reached 
my  ears  from  time  to  time,  and  kept  the  re- 
membrance green.  Recalling  all  this,  I  was 
glad  enough  to  put  up  my  pistol,  and  turning  my 
horse's  head,  to  jog  along  beside  Captain  Jacobus. 

"  Why,  now  I  remember,  and  I  am  glad 
indeed  to  renew  my  acquaintance  with  Sir 
Clipseby  Carew,"  I  said. 

"'Tis  long  since  I  heard  the  tide,"  here- 
turned,  twisting  his  mustache.  "  But  other 
days  are  coming,  we  '11  hope.  Will  you  join 
us,  Mr.  Langford,  to  help  regain  the  King  his 
own  ?" 

"Well,  I  am  a  King's  man,  sure  enough,"  I 
27 


Captain  Jacobus 

answered.  "But  the  fact  is,  Captain,  I  am 
going  to  be  married.  I  do  not  want  to  meddle 
in  broils  and  insurrections." 

"You  do  not?"  returned  the  Captain. 
"Why,  then,  what  else  have  you  been  doing 
of  late,  Mr.  Langford?" 

"  Unless  a-preparing  for  wedlock  be  an  offence 
against  the  Protector,  I  do  not  know,"  I  said  in 
surprise. 

"  You  have  no  hand  in  the  plot,  then  ?  " 

"  On  the  rood,  no  !     What  plot  ?  " 

"  Then  why  are  Crook's  dragoons  billeted  in 
Langford  Manor  House?"  asked  the  Captain. 
"  And  why  are  patrols  posted  along  the  Salisbury 
Road  to  lag  you  by  the  heels  ? " 

"What!"  I  cried,  reining  up.  I  knew 
Captain  Crook  very  well  by  repute  for  a  zealous 
servant  of  Ironside's,  who  patrolled  a  district  of 
the  West  Country  with  a  troop  of  horse. 

"Don't  stop,  man.  We  can  talk  as  we're 
going.  Well,  I  thought  you  knew  naught  of  it, 
and  that  was  the  reason  I  stopped  you.  Your 
estates  are  confiscate,  young  man,  and  you  your- 
self outlawed,  as  like  as  not.  I  don't  know  why, 
but  there  it  is,  you  see." 
28 


Captain  Jacobus 

The  blow  had  fallen,  then.  I  thought  of  Bar- 
bara, and  our  towering  hopes  toppled  into  the 
dust.  Then  I  felt  the  Captain's  hand  on  my 
shoulder  for  a  moment,  and  his  rough  exhorta- 
tion rang  in  my  ears. 

"  Bear  up  !  What,  man  !  worse  has  hap- 
pened to  better  men.  We  '11  be  upsides  with 
the  bloody  regicides  before  all's  done.  Come  ! 
take  the  road  with  me,  and  'list  yourself  into  Sir 
John  Penruddock's  volunteers ;  we  want  men  of 
your  inches.  This  is  no  time  for  marrying. 
Wait  until  the  King  is  cocking  it  at  Whitehall, 
and  then  you  can  marry  as  much  as  you  please." 

"  I  must  go  to  Salisbury  first,' '  I  cried. 

"  Do  you  desire  your  sweetheart  to  behold 
her  lover's  head  aloft  on  Chapel  Bridge,  a-sun- 
drying  on  a  pike-end  ? ' '  inquired  the  Captain, 
grimly.  "  But  you  may  send  her  a  letter  by  a 
messenger  of  mine  to-night,"  he  added. 

"But  what  have  I  done  ?  Why  should  I,  as 
peaceable  a  citizen  as  God  ever  made,  be  suddenly 
clapped  up  for  a  traitor  ? ' ' 

«'  How  should  I  know  ? ' '  replied  the  Cap- 
tain. "  The  point  is,  I  take  it,  that  so  it  is,  most 
unmistakably.  Hast  quarrelled  with  any  one  who 
29 


Captain  Jacobus 


hath  the  ear  of  Cromwell,  or  that  bloody  spider 
Secretary  Thurloe,  by  any  chance  ?  " 

"  I  have  quarrelled  with  no  man,  excepting 
Mr.  John  Manning,  and  he  is  a  Royalist  and  a 
Catholic." 

"Ah!"  said  Captain  Jacobus;  "and  how 
was  that  ? " 

Whereupon  I  related  the  story  of  our  differ- 
ence, without  of  course  mentioning  the  lady's 
name. 

"  And  you  have  not  fallen  across  him  since  ?  " 
inquired  Jacobus,  when  I  had  finished. 

"No." 

"Well,  Mr.  Langford,  if  you  get  a  man  stark 
mad  with  jealousy  under  your  hand,  and  then  you 
let  him  go  free  (and  why  you  did  so  passeth  my 
poor  imagination),  you  must  not  be  astonished  at 
disaster.  That  is  all  there  is  to  be  said.  And 
now  to  the  business  in  hand,  —  which  is  the  only 
thing  that  can  help  you,  or  any  of  us,  in  this 
distraught  realm." 

There  seemed  nothing  for  it  but  to  follow  the 

Captain's  leading  ;  and  with  a  heart  as  heavy  as 

lead  I  resigned  myself  to  fate.     As  we  trotted 

steadily   forward,  Captain  Jacobus  told  me   the 

3° 


Captain  Jacobus 

main  outlines  of  the  conspiracy  against  the  Lord 
Protector  then  kindling  throughout  the  North 
and  West,  in  which  the  tried  Cavalier  at  my  side 
was  a  principal  agent. 

The  Earl  of  Rochester,  it  appeared,  was  then 
in  London,  living  very  private,  awaiting  intelli- 
gence from  Sir  Marmaduke  Darcy,  who  was 
gathering  forces  in  the  North,  and  from  Sir  John 
Penruddock  and  Sir  Joseph  Wagstaff,  who  were 
the  West  Country  leaders.  Captain  Jacobus  had 
appointed  to  meet  the  two  latter  gentlemen  that 
night,  in  order  to  receive  their  instructions,  which 
he  was  straightway  to  carry  to  Rochester,  who 
was  in  communication  with  the  King.  All 
things,  in  our  part  of  the  country,  were  prepared 
for  an  immediate  rising.  It  only  remained  to  fix 
the  date,  which  must  be  done  by  the  King,  who 
was  at  that  moment  lying  secretly  upon  the 
Flemish  coast,  ready  to  cross  should  occasion 
so  require. 

"  That  is  the  complexion  of  affairs,"  concluded 
the  Captain.  "  Now  will  you  join  us,  Mr. 
Langfbrd,  for  good  or  evil  fortune  ?  And  I  warn 
you,  I  that  have  seen  the  beginning  and  sad  end 
of  more  than  one  such  hopeful  enterprise,  'tis 
31 


Captain  Jacobus 

but  the  spin  of  a  coin  betwixt  defeat  and 
victory." 

The  first  shock  of  my  dire  misfortune  was 
passing,  and  I  began  to  feel  mighty  angry,  and  a 
very  fervent  rebel. 

"  Well,  I  am  art  and  part  with  you  !  "  I 
cried,  and  we  shook  hands  as  we  rode. 

So  there  was  I,  upon  the  eve  of  marriage  and  the 
leisurely,  pastoral  life  of  a  country  gentleman, 
pitchforked  into  I  knew  not  what  hugger-mugger  of 
civil  broils,  setting  my  life  and  Barbara's  happi- 
ness upon  the  hazard  of  a  cast.  Well,  it  had  to 
be,  and  I  must  make  the  best  of  it.  But  I  re- 
solved that  I  would  cut  Mr.  Manning's  throat 
the  next  time  fortune  brought  us  to  meet. 

By  this  time,  after  fetching  a  compass,  we  had 
arrived  at  Wilton,  an  ancient  hamlet  about  five 
miles  west  of  Salisbury,  where,  at  the  sign  of  the 
Orle  of  Martlets  (the  cognizance  of  the  Earls  of 
Pembroke),  Captain  Jacobus  had  appointed  to 
meet  Sir  John  Penruddock  and  the  gentlemen 
associated  with  him.  We  found  the  company 
assembled  together  in  an  upper  room  of  the  inn, 
the  most  of  whom  were  smoking  long  pipes,  with 
glasses  of  liquor  in  front  of  them  upon  the  shining 
32 


Captain  Jacobus 

oaken  table.  Captain  Jacobus  introduced  me  to 
Colonel  Sir  John  Penruddock,  a  tall,  dark,  grave 
gentleman,  with  something  of  a  visionary  look 
about  him ;  and  to  Major- General  Sir  Joseph 
Wagstaff,  a  red,  round,  turkey-cock  of  a  man. 
They  bade  us  be  seated  and  filled  our  glasses. 

I  remarked  then,  for  the  first  time,  what  I 
often  had  occasion  to  note  afterwards,  how  the 
Captain,  in  some  unobtrusive  and  undefinable 
way,  assumed  precedence  in  whatsoever  com- 
pany he  found  himself,  even  among  men  who 
had  the  habit  of  command.  I  have  since  put 
it  down  to  his  magnificent  self-confidence,  a 
quality  which  sets  the  seal,  in  the  world's  eye, 
upon  the  charter  of  man's  worth. 

«« Well,  Sir  John,"  began  Captain  Jacobus, 
briskly,  *'  what  tidings  for  his  Lordship  ?" 

"  Tell  the  Earl  of  Rochester  that  we  in 
Wiltshire  can  put  a  troop  of  two  hundred  horse 
into  the  field  at  a  day's  notice,  and  the  Hamp- 
shire people  as  many.  We  are  only  waiting  for 
my  Lord  to  appoint  the  day  and  the  place." 

"  Why,  very  well,"  returned  the  Captain. 
"I  will  ride  to-night." 

A  short  conversation  ensued,  in  which  it  was 
3  33 


Captain  Jacobus 

arranged,  amongst  other  matters,  that  I  should 
ride  with  the  Captain ;  whereat,  in  my  consum- 
ing zeal  for  action,  I  was  well  content. 

"No  stopping  of  coaches  full  of  fine  ladies 
this  journey,  Captain ! "  said  Sir  Joseph  Wag- 
staff,  with  a  chuckle.  He  was  sitting  at  ease, 
with  his  buff  coat  flung  open  and  his  fine  lawn 
shirt  ruffling  out  like  plumage.  "I  am  sorry 
for  you,  my  excellent  friend,  but  the  King's 
interests  before  all!" 

"  Is  the  King  not  interested  in  ladies,  then, 
my  Joseph?"  inquired  the  Captain. 

Sir  Joseph  was  gathering  his  forces  for  a 
reply  when  Sir  John  Penruddock,  rising,  inter- 
rupted him. 

'«  Gentlemen,"  cried  the  Colonel,  "fill  your 
glasses.  A  toast  before  we  part.  Gentlemen  — 
the  King  !  God  bless  him,  and  may  he  speedily 
enjoy  his  own  again  !  " 

I  have  drunk  the  King's  health  many  a  time 
since  then,  —  even  at  his  Majesty's  own  table,  — 
but  never  with  such  a  sudden,  youthful  flame 
of  loyalty  as  kindled  within  me  that  night. 
Perhaps,  in  later  and  more  peaceful  days,  we 
have  declined  somewhat  in  zeal  ;  but  I  re- 
34 


Captain  Jacobus 

member  how  in  those  dark  and  troublous  times 
the  toast  went  with  a  thrill  fit  to  stir  a  man  in 
his  grave.  I  recall  those  occasions  as  clear  as 
a  picture ;  the  ring  of  fine  gentlemen,  with 
brimming  glasses  uplifted,  a  single  fervent  sen- 
timent in  their  faces  ;  and  I  hear  again  the  ring 
of  the  shivered  glass. 

The  Stuarts  are  this  and  that,  and  when  all 
is  said,  I  do  not  know  that  I  love  the  line  over- 
much ;  but  we  have  always  followed  the  King, 
whatsoever  he  might  be.  It  is  bred  in  the  bone 
of  us  ;  we  can  do  no  otherwise. 


Ill 

A   DEN   OF  THIEVES 

IT  must  have  been  past  midnight  when  we 
quitted  the  Orle  of  Martlets  and  struck  into 
the  road  leading  towards  Grovely  Wood,  a 
tract  of  forest  lying  about  three  miles  to  the 
northward  of  Wilton.  No  sooner  had  we 
reached  the  skirts  of  the  wood  than  the  Cap- 
tain, quitting  the  road,  plunged  into  its  branchy 
depths.  Save  for  an  occasional  patch  of  star- 
spangled  sky  above  the  bourgeoning  tree-tops, 
there  seemed  nothing  to  guide  us,  for  the  place 
was  pitch-black  ;  nevertheless,  the  Captain  held 
steadily  onwards  along  some  sort  of  rough 
track. 

"  Ye  have  just  seen  the  top-side  of  the  King's 
party,  Mr.  Langford,"  he  remarked.  "  Now 
y'  are  to  behold  the  bottom.  His  Majesty's 
business  requires  some  singular  instruments,  and 
its  execution  sometimes  takes  his  servants  into 
strange  places." 

36 


A  Den  of  Thieves 

As  he  spoke,  there  fell  upon  our  ears  a  con- 
fused noise  of  shoutings,  and,  a  few  paces  further, 
we  descried  a  red  glow,  as  of  a  great  fire,  behind 
the  serried  black  trees. 

"The  clapper-dogeons  are  in  their  altitudes, 
as  usual,"  observed  the  Captain.  "  For  drink- 
ing, roaring  drunk,  hand-to-fist,  and  raising  the 
Black  Spy  in  general,  commend  me  to  the  Mul- 
Sack's  crew." 

Before  I  had  time  to  ask  his  meaning,  we 
emerged  upon  a  wide,  irregular  clearing,  where 
stood  a  dark  mass  of  building,  which  seemed  to 
be  a  chapel.  A  most  prodigious  din  was  going 
on  inside;  the  painted  windows  glowed  upon 
the  night,  and  a  stream  of  light  shone  from  the 
open  doorway,  through  which  we  could  see 
a  fantastical  crowd  of  men  and  women  seated 
about  long  tables,  feasting,  gambling,  and  quar- 
relling. Two  sentries,  posted  one  on  each  side 
of  the  doorway,  lay  propped  against  the  wall, 
sound  asleep  ;  a  pot  of  ale  stood  on  one  side  of 
each,  and  on  the  other,  his  match  smouldered 
in  the  grass.  Planted  in  the  ground,  tipsily 
askew,  in  front  of  them,  were  their  match-lock 
rests,  while  the  ponderous  weapons  themselves 
37 


Captain  Jacobus 

were  leaned  against  the  wall.  The  red  ruins 
of  a  huge  fire,  burning  midway  between  the 
chapel  and  the  trees,  dimly  revealed  the  figures 
of  several  horses  picketed  near  by,  and  the  out- 
lines of  some  covered  wagons  beyond. 

At  the  moment  of  our  arrival  there  was  a 
sudden  increase  in  the  clamor,  and  the  wild 
figures  of  two  men,  twisted  together  and  fight- 
ing like  cats,  appeared  upon  the  orange  patch 
of  the  doorway,  swayed  to  and  fro,  dropped 
upon  the  sward  outside,  and  lay  there  wrest- 
ling. Other  figures  thronged  after  them,  and 
in  a  moment  the  combatants  were  hidden  from 
view  by  a  howling  mob. 

Captain  Jacobus  dismounted  briskly,  drew  a 
pistol  from  his  holster,  and  strode  into  the 
crowd,  shouldering  them  to  right  and  left. 
"  Mark  ho !  "  some  one  shouted,  and  the  cry 
was  caught  up  and  repeated  twice  or  thrice  ; 
then,  with  a  complete  change  of  accent,  "  The 
Captain!  Way  for  the  Captain!"  Catching 
his  horse  by  the  bridle,  and  following  close 
upon  his  heels,  I  came  up  to  find  the  Captain 
slashing  the  writhing  gladiators  on  the  ground 
across  the  head  and  face  with  his  heavy  riding- 
38 


A  Den  of  Thieves 

switch,  and  rating  them  the  while  like  a  couple 
of  curs. 

"Do  I  pay  you  to  kill  each  other,  you  filthy 
scoundrels,"  he  cried,  as  the  bloody  and  dis- 
hevelled ruffians  staggered  stupidly  to  their  feet. 
««  No  more  of  it,  or  I  will  have  the  skin  flogged 
off  you  by  inchmeal.  Take  the  horses  to  stable, 
some  of  you.  Come  in,  Mr.  Langford  ;  "  and 
we  stepped  across  the  threshold. 

The  place  was  thronged  with  a  crew  of 
more  villainous  tatterdemalions  than  I  had  ever 
before  clapped  eye  upon  in  one  place,  and  the 
reek  of  the  atmosphere  caught  my  throat.  Stuck 
upon  the  tables,  and  in  iron  wall  sconces,  there 
were  enough  candles  burning  to  lighten  a  street ; 
the  unsightly  reliques  of  a  huge  meal  littered  the 
trestle-tables  that  stood  along  the  walls  ;  and 
round  them  was  gathered  a  horrible  tribe  of 
beggars  and  their  callets.  There  was  scarce 
a  complete  man  amongst  them  ;  the  most  had 
lost  a  limb  in  the  late  wars,  and  the  rest  would 
lack  an  eye  or  an  ear,  or  perhaps  a  nose  ;  while 
as  for  those  among  their  women  who  were  not 
old,  lean,  and  hag-like,  the  boldness  of  their 
manner  of  attire  and  behavior  flushed  the  blood 
into  my  face.  39 


Captain  Jacobus 

Upon  our  right  hand,  almost  midway  in  the 
wall,  an  arch  opened  upon  what  had  doubtless 
been  a  private  chapel,  but  was  now  a  kitchen, 
furnished  with  a  great  stone  fireplace,  about 
which  two  or  three  stout  wenches  were  busy 
cooking.  As  we  entered,  the  crowd,  falling 
suddenly  silent,  made  way  for  us.  Right  in 
front,  upon  the  dais  where  once  had  stood  the 
altar,  an  old  man  sat  in  a  high-backed  chair,  at 
a  small  table,  dozing  asleep  as  placid  as  though 
he  were  alone  in  a  wilderness.  His  face, 
burnt  dark  by  the  weather,  was  evil  and  hand- 
some, and  his  long  white  curls  flowed  upon  his 
shoulders.  Immediately  above  him  rose  the 
tall  east  window,  wherein,  through  the  smoke, 
I  dimly  discerned  the  pale  figure  of  our  Lord. 

At  the  jingle  of  our  spurs  upon  the  stones, 
the  ancient  arose,  and  saluting,  approached  us. 

"  What  the  devil,  Mul-Sack  ! "  cried  Cap- 
tain  Jacobus.  "  Do  you  keep  order  no  better 
than  this  ?  Had  I  been  Captain  Crook,  with  a 
troop  of  dragoons  at  my  back,  you  would  have 
been  jogging  to  Tyburn  in  fetters  now." 

"Why,  that's  the  truth,  Captain,  and 
where  's  the  use  of  denying  it  ?  "  returned  the 
40 


A  Den  of  Thieves 

other,  with  a  kind  of  cringing  insolence.  «« The 
rogues  are  fit  to  make  your  heart  ache,  you 
know  so  well  as  I,  Captain.  If  you  please  to 
enter  your  own  room,  Captain,  the  wenches 
will  light  a  fire  and  bring  the  best  we  have." 

"  Quick  about  it,"  said  the  Captain,  shortly, 
and  turning  his  back  upon  the  man  Mul-Sack, 
and  going  to  a  door  in  the  north  wall,  he  took 
a  key  from  his  pocket  and  unlocked  it. 

Mul-Sack,  crying  out  some  commands  in  a 
strange  language,  plucked  a  score  of  candles  from 
the  wall  and  followed,  when  we  found  our- 
selves in  a  vaulted  octagonal  chamber,  which 
must  once  have  been  the  sacristy.  Two  or 
three  of  the  wenches  bustled  in  and  out  with 
fuel  and  dishes  ;  in  a  few  moments  a  fagot  was 
blazing  on  the  hearth,  and  a  plentiful  meal 
smoking  on  the  table.  The  Captain  unlocked  a 
great  chest  that  stood  against  the  wall,  and  drew 
forth  bottles  of  Xeres  wine  ;  and  we  fell  to  very 
heartily,  Mul-Sack  coming  in  and  out  the  while, 
solicitous  that  we  should  lack  nothing.  When 
we  had  finished,  the  table  was  cleared  swiftly, 
the  door  shut,  and  we  were  left  alone.  Captain 
Jacobus,  who  forgot  nothing,  dived  once  more 
41 


Captain  Jacobus 

into  the  chest,  and  placed  upon  the  table  paper 
and  ink,  pens  and  sealing-wax. 

"Write  what  you  have  to  write,  and  I'll 
despatch  it  forthwith,"  said  he;  and  sitting 
down  by  the  fire  with  his  back  to  me,  the  Cap- 
tain lit  a  long  pipe. 

I  took  my  head  in  my  hands  and  tried  to 
think  what  I  must  write  to  Barbara.  Clearly  I 
must  tell  her  the  truth  of  the  case,  and  leave  her 
free  to  renounce  me.  'T  was  the  least  and  the 
most  I  could  do :  but  I  knew  well  enough  she 
would  not  consent ;  and  although  there  was  con- 
solation in  the  thought,  how  could  I  endure  that 
her  lot  should  be  bound  up  with  that  of  a 
broken  man  and  an  outlaw  ?  True,  the  present 
conspiracy  might  succeed,  the  King  come  to  his 
own  again,  and  all  be  well ;  but  I  owned  to  my- 
self I  had  small  hopes  of  it.  There  are  things 
in  this  world  must  be  carried  thorough-stitch  in 
spite  of  one's  teeth  ;  here  was  one  of  them  ;  every 
word  I  wrote,  I  thought  of  Barbara  reading  it, 
and  when  the  letter  was  done  there  was  no  more 
virtue  in  me. 

"  To  Salisbury  ?  A  decas  there  and  a 
decas  back,"  said  the  Captain,  as  I  handed 
42 


A  Den  of  Thieves 

him  the  enclosure.  "  Have  you  a  couple  of 
crowns  ? ' ' 

I  gave  him  the  money,  and  he  left  the  room, 
to  return  with  Mul-Sack. 

"  The  letter  shall  be  delivered  so  soon  as 
the  city  gates  are  opened,"  said  the  old  gentle- 
man. " I  do  not  know  your  name,  sir,  but  you 
seem  a  mighty  proper  young  gentleman,  and 
't  is  a  pleasure  to  serve  you,"  he  added  politely. 

"  Sit  down,  Mul-Sack,  help  yourself  to 
liquor,  and  get  to  business,"  said  Captain  Jaco- 
bus. ««  What  of  Mr.  Armorer  ?  " 

"  Trepanned.  And  the  harmanbacks  picqued 
to  kumirle  and  lodged  him  in  the  King's  Inn," 
returned  the  other. 

The  Captain,  twisting  his  mustache,  seemed 
to  digest  this  intelligence,  then  he  turned  to 
me. 

"He  wishes  to  convey,"  he  said,  "that 
Mr.  Nicholas  Armorer,  my  lieutenant,  has  been 
captured  by  constables,  carried  to  London,  and 
confined  in  Newgate.  Stow  your  whids  and 
plant  'em,"  he  added  to  Mul-Sack.  "Tell  us 
how  it  happened  in  the  King's  English." 

"How  should  I  know,"  said  Mul-Sack, 
43 


Captain  Jacobus 

coolly.  "Mr.  Armorer  must  have  had  a 
accident  in  filching  the  mails  from  Thurloe's  ex- 
press from  Flanders,  and  afterwards  fallen  in 
with  Crook  or  some  of  his  gans ;  for,  going  out 
upon  the  night-sneak,  we  found  the  cold  meat  of 
Thurloe's  rider  Kaines  with  a  sword- slash  in 
his  throat.  We  stripped  him  for  what  he  was 
worth,  which  was  cursed  little,  but  found  no 
screeves  on  him.  So  'tis  a  nice  question 
whether  Mr.  Armorer  destroyed  the  mails  be- 
fore he  was  taken,  or  whether  the  soldiers 
carried  them  to  Thurloe.  Aye,  Nick  Armorer's 
gone  out  on  the  boman  hen  once  too  often,  Cap- 
tain. Here 's  to  his  bilking  the  nubbing-cheat,1 
but  I  wouldn't  lay  a  groat  upon  the  chance," 
and  the  old  robber  tossed  off  a  tot  of  French 
brandy  and  turned  his  glass  upside-down  upon 
the  table. 

The  Captain  sat  ruminating  gloomily  for  a 
space,  Mul-Sack  sipping  his  liquor  the  while,  and 
casting  sidelong  glances  out  of  his  narrow  eyes  at 
his  chief. 

"And  what  of  the  brothers  Dickenson?" 
inquired  Captain  Jacobus. 

1  Cheating  the  gallows. 
44 


A  Den  of  Thieves 

I  learned  afterwards  the  details  of  the  auda- 
cious plot  to  which  this  question  referred  :  in- 
deed (though  not  without  qualms),  I  assisted  later 
in  its  development.  There  were  two  brothers 
Dickenson,  Mr.  Emanuel  and  Mr.  Jedediah, 
both  of  whom  were  goldsmiths,  —  Mr.  Emanuel 
carrying  on  a  great  trade  in  Paul's  Churchyard 
in  London,  and  Mr.  Jedediah  a  solid  business  in 
the  High  Street,  Winchester.  Mr.  Emanuel 
was  a  zealous  member  of  the  Rump,  which 
appeared  to  the  Captain  much  more  than  a  justi- 
fication for  robbing  the  pair.  So  he  forged  a 
letter  to  Emanuel,  purporting  to  be  from  the 
wife  of  Jedediah,  inviting  Emanuel  to  her  hus- 
band's funeral  ;  while  Mul-Sack,  who  was  a 
person  of  grossly  misused  education,  indited  an- 
other, precisely  similar,  to  Jedediah,  on  behalf  of 
Mrs.  Emanuel.  When  the  brothers  were  fairly 
on  their  way  to  each  other's  obsequies,  Mul-Sack 
was  to  rob  the  Winchester  shop,  while  Captain 
Jacobus  rifled  the  house  in  Paul's  Churchyard. 

"According  to  the  time  allowed,"  said  Mul- 
Sack  in  answer  to  the  Captain's  question,  "the 
letters  would  be  delivered  this  morning,  so  that 
both  the  fools  should  have  started  to-night.  They 
45 


Captain  Jacobus 

will  be  sure  to  travel  at  night,  for  fear  of  you 
and  me,  Captain." 

"Why,  'tis  very  well,"  said  the  Captain; 
"  and  what  next  ?  " 

"  No  more  that  I  wot  of,  save  that  Noll 's 
upon  the  road  to-morrow,  travelling  up  from 
Winchester.  I  drink  to  his  speedy  damnation," 
said  Mul-Sack. 

The  Captain  appeared  quite  unmoved  at  this 
piece  of  news.  "  How  many  outriders?"  he 
asked,  knocking  out  the  ashes  of  his  pipe  upon 
the  palm  of  his  hand. 

"Seven." 

"  Ah  ? "  said  the  Captain.  "  And  now  I  '11 
bid  you  good-night ;  for  these  are  ill  hours,  and 
we  must  be  stirring  betimes.  And  what  think 
you  of  Mul-Sack,  King  of  the  Beggars,  Mr. 
Langford  ?  "  he  continued,  when  the  old  man 
had  shut  the  door  behind  him. 

I  was  dazed  and  bewildered  with  the  stagger- 
ing sequence  of  events,  and  tired  as  a  dog  ;  but 
I  had  somehow  acquired  an  impression  that  Mul- 
Sack  was  a  very  villanous  rascal,  and  I  said  so. 

"  Y'  are  right,"  said  the  Captain.  "  A  most 
deadly  varlet.  But  he  is  supple  as  a  glove  with 
46 


A  Den  of  Thieves 

me,  and  his  vagabonds  are  my  secret-service  men 
from  Southampton  port  to  London  town.  John 
Thurloe  thinks  he  owns  a  secret  service,  but  mine 
is  worth  forty  on  't.  My  pilgrims  take  what  they 
can  get,  disobedience  is  sudden  death,  and,  in  the 
upshot,  the  King  is  very  well  served.  Can  ye 
sleep  on  straw,  Mr.  Langford  ?  I  know  no 
softer  bed  ;"  and  the  Captain  flung  himself  on 
a  huge  truss  of  fresh  straw  that  had  been  laid  in 
readiness,  rolled  himself  in  his  cloak,  and  seemed 
to  sleep  at  once. 

I  laid  myself  down  likewise,  and  in  spite  of 
sorrow,  my  weariness  was  so  sore  that  I  dropped 
straightway  into  the  profound  slumber  of  youth. 


47 


IV 

ON  THE  ROAD 

TT  seemed  that  I  had  scarce  closed  my  eyes, 
J_  when  I  was  awakened  by  a  rough  shaking  ; 
and,  sitting  up,  I  gazed  stupidly  at  the  unfamiliar 
chamber,  grisly  with  the  gray  light  of  dawn  which 
filtered  in  at  the  narrow  window.  For  a  moment 
I  knew  not  where  I  was  :  then  my  eyes  encoun- 
tered the  Captain's,  — who  was  lugging  on  his  long 
boots, — and  the  memory  of  my  disasters  came  back 
upon  me  at  a  blow. 

<"Tis  boot-and-saddle,  Mr.  Langford,  and 
brisk  about  it,"  said  the  Captain.  "We  have 
six  miles  to  ride  to  breakfast." 

"  I  am  ready,"  I  answered  shortly  ;  for  I 
felt  exceeding  sleepy,  and  not  a  little  miserable. 
I  thought  upon  the  waking  that  should  have 
been  mine,  the  merry  anticipations  that  were 
wont  to  sit  upon  my  pillow  ;  and  I  raged  as  I 
saw  myself  torn  from  happiness,  and  compelled 
48 


On  the  Road 

to  trot  at  the  heels  of  this  indefatigable  con- 
spirator. Captain  Jacobus  put  away  all  his 
effects,  and  set  the  room  as  neat  as  a  parlor, 
while  I  dragged  on  my  boots  and  girt  on  sword 
and  pistols,  —  Manning's  pistols.  Then  we 
passed  into  the  body  of  the  chapel,  the  Captain 
locking  the  door  of  the  sacristy  behind  him. 

The  trestles  had  all  been  piled  against  the 
wall,  and  the  beggars  lay  huddled  like  swine 
upon  a  thick  bed  of  straw,  deep  in  a  drunken 
slumber.  Some  were  covered  with  sheep-skins, 
some  with  foul  old  cloaks,  while  to  others,  who 
lay  in  their  rags,  sleep  gave  a  new  and  more 
gross  and  filthy  look  than  they  wore  awake. 
The  place  was  dim  and  ashy  gray,  but  a  lustrous 
reflection  from  the  lightening  sky  without  shone 
from  the  majestic  figure  in  the  eastern  window 
painted  by  forgotten  monks,  gazing  serenely 
down  upon  the  sleeping  thieves. 

Outside,  in  the  clear  air,  where  brown  and 
ragged  continents  of  cloud  were  sailing  swiftly 
across  a  sky  as  bright  as  a  shield,  I  drew  deep 
breaths  that  renewed  me  like  wine ;  I  began  to 
feel  my  own  man  again,  and  fit  for  the  day's 
work.  The  two  sentries,  awakened,  I  suppose, 
4  49 


Captain  Jacobus 

by  the  nip  of  the  morning,  were  playing  at  putt 
on  the  grass.  The  Captain  despatched  them  to 
fetch  the  horses  ;  and  while  they  were  gone  we 
laved  head  and  hands  in  a  clear  spring  that 
bubbled  up  hard  by.  Mounting,  we  cleared  the 
wood,  and  soon  we  saw  the  great  pillars  of 
Stonehenge  heaved  black  against  the  sunrise. 
Leaving  them  on  our  left,  we  descended  into 
the  valley  and  crossed  the  Avon  by  the  bridge 
at  Amesbury,  where  we  broke  our  fast  and  had 
the  horses  fed  and  groomed. 

"And  now,"  said  the  Captain,  "let  us  con- 
sider where  we  stand,  Mr.  Langford.  At 
present,  Captain  Crook  hath  the  stronger  cards, 
it  appears.  To  confiscate  the  Langford  estates, 
and  to  nab  Nick  Armorer,  with  or  without  old 
Thurloe's  mails,  is  very  well  for  one  week's 
work ;  but  it  shall  turn  to  his  undoing,  —  as  he 
might  have  said  himself.  Meanwhile,  cut  two 
more  notches  on  his  score.  Now  to  Winches- 
ter to  see  how  squares  go  with  Brother  Jedediah, 
and  thence  to  Farnham,  where  we  lie  the  night, 
if  the  horses  can  get  there,  and  nothing  delays  us 
on  the  road." 

During  the  silent  ride  from  Grovely  Wood  I 
50 


On  the  Road 

had  considered  the  situation  ;  I  had  something  to 
say  upon  it  ;  and  the  sooner  it  was  out  the 
better. 

"  Captain  Jacobus,"  I  began,  "  you  have 
taken  the  kindliest  interest  in  my  fortunes,  al- 
though I  have  no  guess  why  you  should  have 
done  so  ;  and  I  am  loth  to  say  what  I  must  — ' ' 

I  paused  to  grope  for  words,  while  the  Cap- 
tain surveyed  me  keenly. 

"  Speak  out,  Mr.  Langford,"  he  said  j  and  I 
took  heart  and  continued. 

"  Here  am  I  slung  into  the  King's  service 
willy-nilly  ;  and  although  I  am  ready  enough  to 
bear  my  part,  you  must  permit  me  to  distinguish. 
I  will  have  no  hand  in  your  doings  on  the  road, 
Captain.  It  doth  not  take  my  fancy,  going  out 
upon  the  pad." 

"  You  would  say,  a  gentleman  should  not 
do't?"  said  the  Captain,  deliberately. 

*'  I  did  not  say  so,"  I  retorted  rather  angrily. 

"Mr.  Langford,"  he  returned,  "y'  are 
young,  and  suffer  under  the  sweet  illusions  proper 
to  youth.  You  call  yourself  a  King's  man  of 
discretionary  years,  and  yet  you  do  not  appear 
to  comprehend  that  the  country  is  down  under 
51 


Captain  Jacobus 

the  bloody  paws  of  usurpers  and  regicides,  who 
possess  no  rights  in  law.  Did  we  plunder  Royal- 
ists, it  would  be  different.  But  we  do  but  take 
our  own  from  those  who  robbed  us  thereof.  A 
pox  of  your  scruples !  You  appear  to  be  curst 
with  a  right  puritanical  conscience,  for  the  thing 
is  as  plain  as  a  pike." 

"Nevertheless,  I  will  not  do't,"  I  said. 

"  You  will  take  your  own  way,  then,  as  I 
shall  take  mine,"  said  Captain  Jacobus.  "  Your 
zeal  of  conscience  does  not  extend  to  me,  I 
presume?" 

"Why,  no,"  I  answered,  a  little  out  of 
countenance,  "your  affairs  are  no  business  of 
mine." 

"No?  Had  I  made  the  same  reflection  last 
night,  this  notable  debate  might  never  have 
fallen  between  us.  But  let  that  pass.  I  am 
glad  to  hear  it,  too  ;  for,  to  deal  plainly  with  you, 
Mr.  Langford,  I  do  not  allow  young  persons  to 
interfere  with  my  Christian  liberty." 

I  had  no  more  to  say,  and  although  I  knew  I 
was  in  the  right,  I  did  not  feel  so.  In  the 
pause  that  followed,  the  Captain  called  for  the 
reckoning. 

52 


On  the  Road 

"  Do  you  travel  upon  your  own  charges  ?  '* 
he  asked,  with  the  imperturbable  amenity  of 
manner  that  was  his  constant  characteristic.  "  I 
am  sorry  to  trouble  you,  but  'tis  a  question  we 
must  settle,  for  convenience'  sake." 

I  searched  my  pockets  ;  but  I  had  given  my 
last  crown  to  pay  the  messenger  who  carried 
my  letter  to  Barbara,  and,  with  a  very  red  face, 
I  had  to  own  as  much. 

"Why,  no  matter,"  cried  the  Captain. 
"  His  Majesty  lets  no  man  want,  if  he  can 
help  it.  Take  a  few  of  the  King's  pistoles 
for  present  use,"  and  he  pressed  upon  me  a 
handful  of  broad  pieces.  I  had  no  resource  but 
to  pocket  them,  which  I  did  with  a  strong 
reluctancy. 

"  Be  not  so  bashful,  man,"  said  Jacobus. 
"What!  'tis  but  a  matter  of  business.  Be- 
sides," he  added  dryly  "there  are  plenty 
more  where  those  came  from." 

I  saw  what  he  meant,  of  course,  and  straight- 
way fell  into  a  black  temper.  After  denouncing 
highway  robbery,  I  found  myself  condemned 
to  live  upon  the  proceeds  thereof,  —  a  doubly 
false  position  ;  for  not  only  had  I  never  earned 
53 


Captain  Jacobus 

them,  but  it  seemed  that  in  future  I  was  to 
stand  by  and  watch  Captain  Jacobus  doing  all 
the  work  and  taking  all  the  risk,  and  afterwards 
to  share  in  the  booty.  I  had  yet  to  learn  that 
a  man  may  sometimes  be  thrust,  against  his  will, 
into  a  false  position,  where  no  kicking  against 
the  pricks  may  serve  him.  So  that  after  leav- 
ing the  inn  at  Amesbury,  I  rode  many  miles 
in  a  sulky  silence,  —  angry  with  myself,  and 
cursing  the  Captain. 

We  travelled  for  the  most  part  across  country, 
over  the  noiseless,  shining  downs,  a  merry  wind 
whistling  past  our  ears,  and  a  vasty  cope  of  pale 
blue  sky  about  us,  until  we  came  out  above  the 
ancient  city  of  Winchester  lying  in  the  cup  of 
a  deep  valley,  intersected  by  a  silver  ribbon  of 
running  water.  The  town  was  four-square, 
enclosed  within  a  great  wall ;  in  the  midst 
rose  the  long  back  and  the  squat  gray  tower 
of  the  Cathedral,  girt  on  all  quarters  with 
smaller  towers  and  steeples,  their  vanes  a  sparkle 
of  gold  in  the  sunlight.  The  Captain  drew  rein 
and  turned  to  me. 

"Mr.  Langford,"  said  he,  "the  moment 
we  set  foot  within  yonder  city  our  lives  are  in 
54 


On  the  Road 

jeopardy,  for  though  Royalist  at  heart,  the  place 
is  ruled  by  the  other  side,  since  Noll  beat  down 
the  castle  in  the  name  of  his  God.  I  am  a 
known  man,  nor  do  I  choose  to  disguise  myself 
for  a  junto  of  prick-eared  burgesses,  and  I  am 
going  to  dine  and  to  bait  my  horse  at  the  George 
Inn.  But  if  you  have  no  stomach  for  needless 
dangers,  Mr.  Langford,  there  is  no  need  for 
your  mother's  son  to  fly  in  the  face  of  them. 
I  have  a  hundred  broad  pieces  in  my  saddle- 
bag. Take  them  and  ride  down  to  Southamp- 
ton Water  yonder,  ship  across  to  Flanders,  join 
the  Court  at  Cologne,  and  take  your  chance  of 
a  place  about  His  Majesty.  You  will  not 
starve,  at  any  rate,  whatever  befall." 

I  looked  at  the  keen-eyed,  alert  figure  on  the 
big  red  horse,  but  could  make  nothing  of  the 
blank  vizard  of  his  face. 

"  Do  you  want  to  be  rid  of  me  ?  "  I  asked. 

"No,"  returned  the  Captain  ;  and  I  believed 
him. 

"  Unless  I  sell  my  horse  and  go  to  work  in 
the  fields,  and  so  quit  the  King's  service,  I  must 
still  exist  upon  your  bounty,  it  appears,"  I  said 
haltingly. 

55 


Captain  Jacobus 

"Oh,  hang  your  scrupulosity!"  cried  the 
Captain.  "Have  I  not  told  you  'tis  His 
Majesty's  wages?  Am  I  not  his  paymaster? 
Are  you  his  comptroller  of  taxes  ?  Body  o'  me  ! 
Shalt  say  hast  earned  'em  before  the  week 's  out, 
I  Ml  warrant  ye.  Come  !  Dine  with  me  at 
the  George,  or  take  this  bag  of  my  namesakes 
and  the  part  of  discretion,  ship  yourself  to 
Flanders,  and  be  done  with  it." 

"  I  will  dine  with  you  with  all  my  heart, 
sir,"  says  I. 

"Well,  and  I  thought  you  looked  hungry," 
says  the  Captain,  with  a  chuckle ;  and  with 
that  we  paced  forward  down  the  hill. 

We  entered  the  city  by  the  West- gate,  beside 
which  rose  a  huge  pile  of  shattered  masonry, 
the  remains  of  the  Black  Tower  which  Crom- 
well, ten  years  before,  had  bombarded  to  make 
a  breach  into  the  Castle  ;  and,  "  Noll  is  a  very 
proper  man,  and  the  best  soldier  in  England, 
with  a  maggot  in  his  brain  which  keeps  him  o' 
the  wrong  side,"  quoth  Jacobus,  as  we  passed. 
The  George  is  a  pleasant  house,  half-way  down 
the  High  Street,  and  the  master  tavern  of  the 
place.  Captain  Jacobus,  who  was  as  resolute 
56 


On  the  Road 

to  live  upon  the  marrow  of  the  land,  when  he 
was  in  funds,  as  he  was  contented  to  go  pinched 
on  bread  and  cheese  when  his  Pactolus  ran  low, 
ordered  a  meal  of  the  best.  No  healthy  man 
can  lack  hope  and  a  certain  dash  of  happiness 
so  long  as  he  is  well  fed  ;  and  in  spite  of  my 
troubles,  I  felt  singularly  at  peace,  with  a  noble 
dinner  and  a  pint  of  generous  wine  inside  me, 
as  we  lounged  in  the  doorway  giving  upon  the 
street. 

And  here  I  was  aware  of  a  stout-built, 
dignified,  ill-humored-looking  gentleman  emer- 
ging from  the  throat  of  a  narrow  archway  upon 
the  opposite  side,  which  led  to  the  Cathedral 
Close.  There  was  some  strong,  indefinable 
quality  about  the  man  which  held  my  atten- 
tion, and  I  watched  him  with  a  lazy  interest 
in  his  approach.  He  had  a  proud,  red  face, 
little  steely  blue  eyes  under  massy  brows,  and 
locks  of  ash-gray  hair  curling  on  his  shoulders  ; 
and  was  habited  in  a  plain  dark  suit  of  cloth 
of  a  puritanical  cut,  with  a  broad  falling  lace 
collar  and  cuffs.  He  made  towards  us,  and 
had  his  foot  upon  the  steps,  when  the  Captain, 
who  was  leaning  against  the  opposite  door-post 
57 


Captain  Jacobus 

smoking  a  cigarro,  suddenly  caught  sight  of 
him.  I  have  never  seen  so  quick  and  shocking 
a  change  in  a  man's  face  as  passed  upon  the 
Captain's  at  that  moment.  He  went  dark  red, 
his  eyes  enlarged,  the  veins  in  his  forehead 
swelled,  his  mustachios  bristled,  and  he  stif- 
fened all  over.  The  puritanical  gentleman  with 
the  great  nose  regarded  us  both  with  a  keen, 
frowning  glance  as  he  mounted  the  steps.  Now 
the  doorway  was  not  very  wide,  and  there  was 
scant  room  for  a  third  person  to  pass  ;  so  that 
I  drew  back  slightly,  expecting  the  Captain  to 
do  likewise.  But  had  his  feet  been  socketed  in 
the  floor,  Jacobus  could  not  have  stood  more 
unremoved.  The  stranger,  in  consequence, 
brushed  heavily  against  him  in  passing,  but 
went  on  without  a  word  of  apology  or  so  much 
as  a  look.  The  Captain's  eyes  followed  him, 
much  as  a  leashed  terrier  stares  at  a  rat,  until 
he  had  disappeared  within. 

"What  the  devil  is  the  matter?"  I  said. 
"Who  is  that?" 

But  Jacobus  did  not  hear  me. 

"  Now  if  it  were  not  for  that  same  gentility 
you  prate  so  much  about,"  said  he,  "  I  could 
58 


On  the  Road 

have  dirked  the  man  as  he  passed.  The  Lord 
Protector  would  have  been  dead  on  that  door- 
step, and  England  herself  again.  Well,  you 
see  I  have  not  done  it ;  and  by  God,  I  think  I 
am  a  fool !  " 

"  The  Lord  Protector  Cromwell  ?  "  I  cried 
in  amaze. 

"  Did  you  not  know  him  ?  You  will,  be- 
fore all 's  done.  And  now  I  think  't  is  full  time 
we  took  the  road,  Anthony,"  —  for  the  Captain 
had  taken  to  using  me  with  this  friendly  familiar- 
ity since  our  little  conversation  on  the  hill. 
"  Pay  you  the  reckoning,  while  I  see  to  the 
nags,"  and  he  disappeared  toward  the  stables. 

As  we  clattered  down  the  High  Street,  Cap- 
tain Jacobus,  who  had  explained  to  me  the 
nature  of  his  designs  upon  the  brothers  Dicken- 
son,  called  my  eyes  to  a  large  shop  at  the  corner, 
where  the  memorial  cross  now  stands  that  was 
set  up  some  ten  years  later,  in  the  time  of  the 
great  Pestilence.  The  shutters  were  up,  and  I 
read  upon  a  handsome  swinging  sign  the  legend, 
"  Jedediah  Dickenson,  Jeweller  and  Goldsmith." 

"All  snug  for  Mul-Sack,"  remarked  the 
Captain. 

59 


Captain  Jacobus 

'« Well,  you  sail  near  the  wind,"  I  said. 

"  To  a  superficial  person.  But  I  give  you 
credit  for  a  better  discernment.  The  King's 
taxes  must  be  collected  somehow." 

We  left  the  town  by  the  East-gate,  skirted 
Saint  Giles's  hill,  and  came  out  upon  the  Aires- 
ford  road,  which  goes  rising  and  falling  with  the 
bare  downs.  The  sight  of  Alresford  battlefield 
brought  my  father's  death  sharply  to  remem- 
brance ;  and  it  struck  me  as  highly  probable 
that  his  son  was  riding  to  a  like  fate  in  the 
same  insensate  quarrel.  A  little  after  we  came 
in  sight  of  Chilton  Candover,  a  tiny  village  at 
the  junction  of  the  road  we  were  now 
upon  with  the  main  road  from  Winchester 
to  Reading,  which  runs  direct  through  Kings- 
worthy  instead  of  winding  about  through  Aires- 
ford.  I  was  beginning  to  wonder  why  we  had 
fetched  a  compass,  when  I  espied  in  front  of  us, 
upon  the  Kingsworthy  road,  a  coach  and  pair, 
followed  by  a  knot  of  outriders,  the  sun  spark- 
ling upon  their  steel  caps  and  accoutrements.  I 
glanced  at  the  Captain,  who  was  staring  fixedly 
at  the  swiftly  moving  party.  He  turned  his 
head,  and  our  eyes  met. 
60 


On  the  Road 

"Anthony,"  he  said  abruptly,  "that  is  the 
Protector's  coach,  and  I  am  going  to  stop  it. 
What  are  you  going  to  do?" 

"  Under  the  circumstances,  I  am  coming 
with  you.  There  are  one,  two — seven  out- 
riders, and  Oliver  is  not  the  man  to  go  weapon- 
less himself." 

"Ah,  but  I  have  his  pistols,"  said  Jacobus, 
pointing  to  a  brace  of  petronels  strapped  to  his 
holsters,  which  he  must  have  taken  from  the 
coach  in  the  stableyard  of  the  George.  "  There 
is  an  alehouse  in  Chilton  Candover,  and  if  the 
guard  stops  to  drink,  why,  I  hold  the  brewer's 
life  in  the  hollow  of  my  hand." 

The  low  sun  shone  full  into  Jacobus's  face 
as  he  turned  towards  me  in  his  saddle :  his  hat 
was  pulled  over  his  eyes,  but  I  could  see  the 
muscles  of  his  mouth  twitching  the  while  I 
hesitated.  A  vision  of  all  that  the  Protector's 
death  would  mean  flashed  through  my  mind. 
It  meant  Barbara  to  me,  and  vengeance  of  my 
father's  death.  For  the  rest,  the  King  with 
his  own,  the  Cavaliers  restored,  England  free. 
Was  not  the  regicide's  life  already  forfeit  on  a 
hundred  counts  ?  And  a  thirst  for  the  blood 
61 


Captain  Jacobus 

of  that  grayhaired,  brazen-bowelled  rebel  in 
the  gilded  coach  yonder  burned  within  me.  I 
glanced  after  it,  and,  sure  enough,  it  was  crawl- 
ing unattended  up  the  hill  beyond  the  village. 
Then,  of  a  sudden  (it  sounds  a  simple  thing 
to  say),  I  saw  myself  explaining  the  matter  to 
Barbara,  and  beheld  the  look  upon  her  listen- 
ing face.  It  could  not  be  done. 

"  We  cannot  shoot  a  defenceless  man,  Cap- 
tain," I  said  steadily. 

To  this  day  I  do  not  know  what  Captain 
Jacobus  had  originally  intended  :  perhaps  he 
had  not  made  up  his  mind,  and  merely  took 
the  brace  of  pistols  while  he  had  the  chance  ; 
for  scarce  were  the  words  out  of  my  mouth, 
when  he  struck  spurs  into  his  horse,  leaped  the 
low  hedge  at  the  side  of  the  road,  and  set  off  at 
full  gallop  in  a  straight  line  for  the  Lord  Pro- 
tector's coach.  I  followed  him  upon  the  in- 
stant, and  after  cutting  off  a  corner,  we  came 
out  upon  the  road  again  as  the  coach  vanished 
round  a  bend  between  steep  banks.  Glancing 
over  my  shoulder,  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  the 
group  of  soldiers  clustered  about  the  ale-house, 
scarce  a  quarter-mile  behind.  The  Captain 
62 


On  the  Road 

executed  what  was  doubtless  a  very  familiar 
manoeuvre.  With  a  cocked  pistol  in  each  hand, 
guiding  his  horse  with  his  knees,  he  rode  up 
alongside  the  coachman,  crying,  "  Stand  !  "  in 
a  great  voice.  The  startled  driver  pulled  his 
horses  upon  their  haunches.  At  the  same  in- 
stant a  shrill  whistle  sounded,  and  the  Protector 
thrust  forth  head  and  shoulders,  a  silver  whistle 
in  his  teeth. 

«'  Ye  insolent  rogues,"  said  he,  in  a  thick, 
choleric  voice,  "what  would  ye  have?" 

A  sudden,  boyish  impulse  took  me.  "Jus- 
tice ! "  I  cried.  "  You  have  the  name  of  a 
just  man,  my  Lord  Cromwell.  Why  am  I, 
Anthony  Langford,  of  Langford  Manor,  that 
never  lifted  a  finger  against  the  laws,  driven 
out  of  house  and  home  by  a  troop  of  your 
soldiers?" 

The  heavy  eyebrows  came  down  over  the 
small  sparkling  eyes,  and  the  Lord  Protector 
glared  at  me,  then  past  me  at  Jacobus. 

"What,  Langford  of  the  Plymouth  plot! 
y*  are  well  met.  I  have  heard  of  you  from  Mr. 
Thurloe.  And  who  are  you,  sir,  with  the 
pistols  ?  " 

63 


Captain  Jacobus 

««  Damn  you,  out  of  the  way,  man  !  "  shouted 
Jacobus,  passionately,  wrenching  at  my  bridle. 
I  do  not  know  what  he  would  have  done,  for 
at  that  moment  a  mighty  clatter  of  hoofs  broke 
upon  our  ears,  and  the  whole  body  of  outriders 
came  swerving  round  the  corner  at  full  gallop, 
not  fifty  paces  behind  us. 

«'  Too  late,"  cried  the  Captain.  '*  Come 
away!"  and  striking  spurs  into  his  horse,  he 
dashed  off  down  the  road,  and  I  after  him,  the 
dragoons  thundering  at  our  heels.  We  heard  a 
hoarse  shout  of  command,  and  the  soldadoes  roar- 
ing out  a  summons  to  surrender :  then  the  ex- 
plosion of  a  pistol,  and  the  scream  of  a  bullet  over 
our  heads.  At  that  the  Captain  turned  his 
horse,  and  we  leaped  the  hedge  as  two  more 
shots  sang  past  us.  A  fourth  struck  my  nag  on 
the  withers,  but  did  no  great  harm,  for  by  that 
time  we  had  got  well  ahead.  The  ground  was 
smooth  and  undulating  grass-land,  and  for  a  long 
while  we  kept  neck  to  neck,  and  the  men  behind 
us  in  a  compact  body,  umil  we  crossed  a  soft 
place,  after  which  our  pursuers  began  to  straggle 
somewhat.  Then  up  hill  and  down  dale,  mile 
after  mile,  we  rode  headlong,  hoping  fervently 
,64 


On  the  Road 

that  the  breeding  of  the  horses  would  carry  us 
through  until  the  night  fell.  Already  the  sun 
was  dipping  below  the  rim  of  the  hills  j  we  rode 
in  a  colored  twilight  ;  and  looking  back  as  we 
topped  a  rise,  I  could  see  but  four  riders,  a  mile 
or  so  behind. 

But  I  was  a  heavy  man,  and  as  we  breasted 
the  next  hill  I  felt  my  nag  beginning  to  fail. 
Still  we  held  on  without  slackening,  until  the 
figures  of  our  pursuers  had  become  mere  blurs  in 
the  gathering  dusk.  Suddenly  my  horse  stum- 
bled, recovered,  stumbled  again,  pitched  forward 
so  that  I  had  but  just  time  to  save  myself,  and  lay 
still,  the  blood  pouring  from  his  nostrils.  The 
Captain  pulled  up. 

"His  heart's  broke.  Mount  behind  me," 
he  said. 

"I  can  run,"  I  replied,  and  with  my  arm 
across  his  crupper  we  set  off  again  at  a  vengeance 
of  a  pace.  We  had  gone  about  three  miles,  I 
suppose,  when  I  felt  the  horse  give  under  me, 
and  had  but  just  time  to  cry  a  warning  before  he 
came  heavily  to  the  ground.  The  Captain  was 
thrown,  but  got  to  his  feet  immediately.  The 
poor  beast  struggled  upon  its  fore-feet  with  wild 
5  65 


Captain  Jacobus 

eyes,  but  fell  back  again  with  a  groan.  The 
Captain  peered  into  the  darkness,  then  laid  his 
ear  to  the  ground.  There  was  no  more  sign  of 
pursuit. 

« I'll  risk  it,"  he  said,  and  drawing  a  pistol, 
he  shot  the  animal  through  the  head.  Then  he 
took  off  the  saddle  and  bridle,  shouldered  them, 
and  we  marched  towards  a  wood  that  loomed  darkly 
near  by.  Once  within  the  shelter  of  the  trees, 
we  flung  ourselves  down,  utterly  exhausted. 


66 


V 


ON   THE   ROAD  — THE   INN   AT 
FARNHAM 

AFTER  a  while  the  Captain  roused  himself 
and  sat  up.  "  The  next  point  is,  where 
are  we  ?  "  says  he,  and  strolls  towards  the  bor- 
ders of  the  wood.  I  dragged  myself  to  my  feet 
and  followed  him.  As  the  trees  grew  more 
thinly,  the  ground  began  upon  a  sharp  descent 
into  a  valley,  where  some  lights  twinkled,  and 
over  against  us,  on  the  brow  of  the  opposite  hill, 
we  could  discern  in  the  steely  light  of  the  stars 
the  dim  outlines  of  a  range  of  great  buildings. 

"  Well,  we  have  reached  our  bourne  in  spite 
of  Noll's  dragoons,"  said  Jacobus.  "It  is  what 
I  steered  for,  and  Providence  hath  been  kind. 
Here  are  we  in  the  skirts  of  Holt  Forest  :  there 
is  Farnham  Castle  opposite,  and  supper  stays  for 
us  in  the  vale,  at  the  sign  of  the  Smiling  Lion. 
We  must  tramp  it,  my  son." 


Captain  Jacobus 

So  saying,  we  began  to  pick  our  way  down 
the  hill-side,  —  the  Captain,  although  I  offered  to 
relieve  him,  with  his  harness  on  his  back,  —  and 
soon  struck  upon  the  high-road.  A  couple  of 
miles  of  weary  trudging  brought  us  upon  the 
long  main  street  of  Farnham,  when  a  horseman, 
whom  we  had  heard  trotting  behind,  coming 
level  with  us,  pulled  his  horse  into  a  walk,  and 
paced  slowly  past  us.  Captain  Jacobus  peered 
keenly  at  him,  edging  nearer  to  get  a  better  look. 
Then  he  dropped  back  a  pace  or  two.  "  Jedediah 
Dickenson,  as  I  live  by  bread  !  "  he  whispered. 
About  a  bow-shoot  further  on,  a  good-sized  inn 
stood  a  piece  back  from  the  road,  ruddy  light 
bursting  from  the  crevices  of  the  shutters  and 
streaming  from  the  open  door.  Standing  squarely 
in  the  doorway,  at  the  top  of  a  little  wide  flight 
of  steps,  a  tall  man  with  a  gray  beard  was  look- 
ing forth  upon  the  night.  No  sooner  had  the  Cap- 
tain caught  sight  of  this  sombre  figure  than  he 
clutched  my  arm. 

"And  Brother  Emanuel  too,"  he  exclaimed 
with  an  oath. 

A  moment  later  the  horseman  in  front  of  us 
stopped  as  though  he  had  been  shot,  and  bent  limply 
68 


On  the  Road  —  Inn  at  Farnham 

over  his  saddle-bow.  Jacobus  is  a  quick  man  by 
nature  and  habit  ;  but  never  did  I  see  him  act 
more  swiftly. 

"  Take  Jedediah's  bridle,  turn  the  nag,  and 
lead  him  forward,"  he  whispered.  "Quick, 
now ! " 

If  ever  there  was  a  frightened  man  in  this 
world  it  was  the  Winchester  goldsmith.  I 
caught  a  glimpse  of  his  face  as  I  passed.  The 
white  of  his  skin  above  his  fringe  of  beard  shone 
upon  the  darkness  like  a  linen  mask  :  he  had 
dropped  his  reins,  and  with  both  hands  gripping 
his  saddle-bow,  he  was  staring  fixedly  at  the 
graybeard  in  the  doorway.  I  whipped  the  horse 
round,  and  had  much  ado  to  hold  him,  for  Cap- 
tain Jacobus  leapt  up  suddenly  behind  the  saddle, 
and  crooked  his  arm  about  the  traveller's  throat. 

"  Steady,  now,"  I  heard  him  say  to  his  victim, 
as  I  led  forward  at  a  brisk  walk.  "  Y*  are  safe 
if  you  do  not  struggle  :  resist,  and  y'  are  a  dead 
man." 

Save  for  the  lights   within  the  houses,   the 

street  was  perfectly  dark  ;  there   was   no  one 

abroad  at   that  late  hour,  and  we  gained  the 

outskirts  of  the    village   unperceived.     All    at 

69 


Captain  Jacobus 

once  it  occurred  to  me  that,  after  all  my  fine 
speeches,  here  was  I  art  and  part  in  a  common 
piece  of  toby  work,  and  that  for  the  second 
time  in  one  day.  Upon  the  first  occasion 
there  seemed  nothing  else  to  be  done,  and  we 
had  paid  dearly  for't.  Now  I  had  been  be- 
trayed by  sheer  inadvertence,  in  the  hurry  of  the 
moment.  I  stopped  the  horse  and  turned  round. 
The  wretched  Jedediah  was  still  holding  to  the 
pommel  of  his  saddle,  Jacobus,  who  seemed  to 
be  kneeling  on  the  crupper,  still  embraced  his 
neck,  and  I  could  dimly  catch  the  outline  of 
the  Captain's  long  nose  and  mustache  over  his 
shoulder  in  the  gloom. 

"  Captain,"  I  said,  "  this  is  not  in  the 
bond." 

"In  the  King's  name  !  "  returned  the  Cap- 
tain, like  the  snapping  of  a  pistol.  "  Obey 
orders,  sir !  " 

I  had  not  foreseen  this,  and  there  seemed  no 
answer  to  it,  for  Captain  Jacobus  undoubtedly 
held  his  Majesty's  commission,  while  I  was  a 
sworn  volunteer.  I  resumed  my  march,  there- 
fore, not  without  a  sneaking  satisfaction,  for  con- 
science was  silenced  within,  and  besides,  't  was 
70 


On  the  Road —  Inn  at  Farnham 

excellent  sport.  After  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
of  walk,  the  Captain,  who  appeared  to  have  be- 
come mighty  military  all  of  a  sudden,  cried  out 
to  me  to  halt.  Jumping  off,  he  ordered  Mr. 
Jedediah  to  dismount,  which  the  goldsmith  did 
without  a  word,  in  a  somewhat  dazed  and 
fumbling  fashion.  Then  acting  under  the  Cap- 
tain's brief  commands,  after  tying  the  horse  to 
the  hedge,  I  took  one  arm  while  he  took  the 
other,  and  we  squired  our  Bale-o' -grace  across 
a  field  towards  a  barn  that  loomed  in  the  dark- 
ness. Here  the  Captain  stood  over  him  with  a 
pistol  while  I  untied  his  garters  (which  were 
scarfs  of  black  silk,  of  a  richness  quite  unbefitting 
his  station),  wherewith  we  secured  his  wrists 
and  ankles.  Then  we  carried  him  into  the 
barn,  which  was  black-dark  and  smelled  of  hay 
and  rats,  until  we  stumbled  over  a  truss  and 
dropped  him. 

"I  wish  you  a  good-night,  Mr.  Dickenson," 
said  the  Captain,  speaking  into  the  darkness, 
"and  a  pleasant  walk  to  Winchester,  where,  if 
all  I  have  heard  be  true,  y*  are  sadly  wanted  ; " 
and  with  that  we  left  him,  latching  to  the  great 
door  behind  us. 

71 


Captain  Jacobus 

"That  was  a  close  throw,"  the  Captain 
said,  as  we  retraced  our  steps.  "Had  it  not 
been  for  the  little  accident  with  Oliver,  I  should 
have  stopped  one  or  other  of  them  (by  your 
good  leave)  before  they  could  have  met.  How- 
ever, all's  well,  notwithstanding." 

'« And  what  will  come  to  Mr.  Jedediah  ?  " 
I  asked. 

"  How  should  I  know  ?  He  may  die  and 
go  to  the  place  appointed  to  his  fellowship,  or 
he  may  live  and  go  to  Winchester.  -But  I  '11 
wager  he  doesn't  set  foot  in  Farnham  to-night, 
and  that's  enough  for  me." 

The  Captain  would  have  me  ride  the  nag, 
and  in  this  wise  we  regained  the  village,  where, 
after  picking  up  the  saddle,  I  rode  into  the 
stable-yard  at  the  sign  of  the  Smiling  Lion, 
while  Jacobus  went  within  to  order  supper. 

Upon  crossing  the  threshold  of  the  inn  some 
minutes  later,  after  having  seen  the  horse  prop- 
erly cared  for,  I  was  stricken  to  hear  the  tones 
of  a  strong  voice,  as  of  a  man 'preaching,  issuing 
from  the  common  room,  instead  of  the  droning 
rustical  songs  customary  in  such  places.  Push- 
ing open  the  door  I  walked  in.  The  long,  low 
72 


On  the  Road  —  Inn  at  Farnham 

room  was  bright  with  fire  and  candle  ;  three  or 
four  country-fellows  stood  about  the  great  ingle, 
long  pipes  in  their  hands,  with  blank,  amazed 
faces  all  turned  towards  the  man  who,  from  be- 
hind a  jack  of  ale  at  the  head  of  the  table,  was 
speaking  with  a  stern  vehemence.  In  the  great, 
square-shouldered  figure  with  the  shaven  upper 
lip  and  the  gray  beard  I  recognized  Mr.  Eman- 
uel  Dickenson,  whom  we  had  seen  but  now  in 
the  doorway,  and  whom  his  brother  Jedediah 
had  taken  for  his  ghost.  Jacobus  was  sitting 
sideways  on  the  edge  of  the  table,  with  his  hat 
set  awry,  swinging  a  leg,  and  staring  with  a 
very  malapert  air  at  the  lecturer,  who  appeared 
to  be  addressing  him  directly. 

"Art  thou  a  damned  heretic  or  a  popish 
dog?"  he  was  crying,  as  I  entered.  "  Y*  are 
a  whiffling,  trumpery  fop,  by  any  way  of  think- 
ing. What  make  you,  disturbing  honest  men 
at  their  meat  in  their  inn,  with  your  lewd  con- 
versation ?  I  know  ye,  who  you  are.  Y'  are 
one  of  those  sons  of  Belial,  those  notorious,  out- 
rageous evil  livers,  the  back-stairs  gentlemen  of 
the  bloody  Stuart,  who  range  up  and  down  the 
country  like  Satan  scouting  for  a  prey,  disorder- 

\ 


Captain  Jacobus 

ing  God's  chosen  with  your  abominable  offences. 
It  is  insufferable.  It  is  not  to  be  borne.  The 
Lord  Protector  shall  take  order  upon  it.  Ye 
shall  hang  in  chains  on  Newmarket  Heath,  my 
ruffling  cavalier  canary  bird.  Mark  me  —  " 

"I  will,"  said  Jacobus.  "Ye  ....  I" 
The  Captain  delivered  himself  of  a  single  un- 
surpassable sentence,  which  cannot  be  written 
here,  referring  to  the  Parliament  of  which 
Emanuel  was  a  member,  and,  leaning  forward, 
dealt  the  Puritan  a  rattling  buffet  on  the  mouth. 
A  hoarse  shout  went  up  from  the  bystanders  as 
the  big  man  leaped  to  his  feet  and  began  lug- 
ging at  his  rapier.  But  the  Captain  was  too 
quick  for  him.  Springing  back  as  nimbly  as  a 
goat,  he  set  his  shoulder  against  the  end  of  the 
table,  and  seeing  what  he  would  be  at,  I  sprang 
to  his  side.  We  ran  the  long  board  upon 
Emanuel  like  a  battering-ram,  pinning  him 
against  the  wall.  The  edge  caught  him  in  the 
wind,  I  suppose,  as  he  stumbled  back,  for  he 
doubled  up  and  fell  upon  his  face  among  the 
dirty  platters  with  a  mighty  crash.  At  that 
moment  the  landlady,  a  huge  woman  with  a 
scarlet  face,  came  running  in,  and  comprehend- 
74 


On  the  Road  —  Inn  at  Farnham 

ing  the  state  of  affairs  at  a  glance,  made,  open- 
mouthed,  at  Jacobus  and  me. 

"Out  with  you!"  she  shouted.  "Out 
with  you  !  I  will  have  none  of  your  roaring 
bullies  of  Cavaliers  in  my  house.  Out,  I  say  !  " 

Pressed  by  this  formidable  virago,  who  con- 
tinued to  revile  us  at  the  top  of  her  pipe,  we 
had  no  ohoice  but  to  retreat,  and  so  backed  into 
the  hall.  My  hopes  of  supper  had  begun  to 
dwindle  dismally,  and  even  Jacobus  seemed 
out-faced  for  once,  when  there  fell  a  sudden 
diversion. 

"  Why,  what  is  the  matter? "  cried  a  voice 
from  the  stairway. 

We  all  turned  round,  and  there,  standing  at 
the  lighted  stair-foot,  was  a  bright  spring  beauty 
of  a  wench,  with  a  great  coronal  of  red  hair  ; 
and  meth ought  she  looked  at  us  very  kindly. 
The  landlady  turned  obsequious  in  a  twinkling, 
after  the  manner  of  her  kind. 

"  Why,  no  great  matter,  Mistress  Curie,"  she 
began.  «'  'T  is  a  shame  that  you  should  be  so 
put  upon.  But  these  Cavalier  gentlemen  —  " 

"  Oh,  sirs,  are  you  for  his  Majesty  ? "  cried 
the  girl  with  sparkling  eyes. 
75 


Captain  Jacobus 

Jacobus  rose  to  the  occasion,  while  I  was 
thinking  about  it  :  he  stepped  forward,  removing 
his  hat  and  bowing  low. 

<«  Poor  servants  of  the  King  we  are,  at  your 
service,  Madam,  for  I  perceive  you  cannot  but 
be  for  God  and  the  Cause.  We  have  been 
upon  his  Majesty's  business  all  day  — I  care  not 
who  hears  me  —  I  say,  upon  the  King  his  ser- 
vice, with  neither  bite  nor  sup ;  and  now  we 
are  to  be  flung  into  the  road,  it  appears,  to  make 
room  for  a  bloody  regicide." 

The  landlady  began  a  voluble  explanation, 
but  the  girl  broke  in  on  it  and  silenced  her. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  she,  "  if  y'  are  the  King's 
friends  y'  are  mine  also,  and  it  will  pleasure  Mrs. 
Beatrice  Young  and  myself  greatly  if  you  will 
sup  with  us  above  stairs.  We  shall  expect  you 
in  a  few  minutes." 

So  saying,  she  curtseyed,  and  turned  to  go  up 
stairs,  carrying  the  baffled  hostess  with  her. 
Meanwhile  the  idlers  in  the  common  room  had 
crowded  to  listen.  The  Captain  suddenly  drew 
a  pistol  and  levelled  it. 

"  Back,  you  vermin  !  "  he  said,  making  a 
step  forward  ;  and  the  men  hustled  back  into  the 
76 


On  the  Road  —  Inn  at  Farnham 

room  like  sheep,  falling  over  one  another.  They 
slammed  to  the  door,  and  we  could  hear  them 
bolting  it. 

"  Now,  if  Emanuel  has  any  stomach  left  for 
a  fight  (which  I  misdoubt  me)  they  will  stay 
his  eviting  the  room  for  fear  of  me  without," 
remarked  the  Captain.  "  Let  us  go  make  a 
toilet." 

A  house-wench  showed  us  to  a  room,  where 
we  did  our  best  to  remove  the  dust  and  the 
blood-stains  of  the  day's  work. 

"  Why,  what  a  thing  it  is,"  observed  Jacobus, 
surveying  me  when  we  were  ready,  "  to  go 
about  with  a  guileless,  innocent,  boyish  face  like 
yours,  my  son !  For  all  the  years  I  've  been 
upon  the  road,  never  till  now  have  I  been  bid 
to  supper  by  a  lady  of  any  reputation." 

We  found  Mistress  Curie  and  her  companion, 
a  short,  black-eyed,  ruddy  young  lady,  with  a 
saucy  bit  of  a  nose,  in  a  panelled  chamber  where 
a  brisk  fire  burned  on  the  hearth  and  a  plentiful 
meal  was  smoking  on  the  table. 

"My  cousin,  Mrs.  Beatrice  Young,"  said 
Mistress  Curie,  leading  the  dark  young  lady  for- 
ward. «'  Since  I  have  no  one  to  present  me,  I 
77 


Captain  Jacobus 

must  e'en  do  the  office  for  myself.  Mrs.  Maria- 
bellah  Curie,  gentlemen,"  said  she,  curtseying. 

"  This  is  my  friend,  Mr.  Anthony  Langford, 
of  Langford  Manor  ;  and  my  name  is  —  "  said 
the  Captain,  bowing  —  "  is  Jacobus,  of  the 
King's  Highway." 

"And  are  you  the  great  Captain  Jacobus," 
exclaimed  Mrs.  Mariabellah,  "who  stopped  my 
father' s  coach  after  his  deprivation  by  the  Round- 
heads, and  gave  him  a  bag  of  broad-pieces  ? 
Oh,  this  is  better  and  better  !  " 

"  And  are  you  then  the  daughter  of  Bishop 
Curie  of  Winchester  ?  "  asked  Jacobus. 

"The  very  same,"  cried  she;  "and  Mrs. 
Beatrice  here  is  daughter  to  the  Dean.  But 
come,  let  us  fall  to  with  the  appetite  befitting 
those  of  the  good  party.  Why,' '  continued  this 
lively  young  woman,  when  we  had  sat  down, 
"  had  it  not  been  for  you,  Captain,  we  two 
should  never  have  dared  to  take  the  road  with 
none  but  a  little  foot-page  to  guard  us.  But  we 
knew  you  kept  the  highway  and  would  endure 
no  rivals  ;  and,  indeed,  we  hoped  to  meet  you, 
for  after  all  the  stories  we  have  heard  in  our 
sleepy,  quiet  little  village,  you  cannot  think  how 
78 


On  the  Road  —  Inn  at  Farnham 

I  have  longed  to  behold  a  real  Cavalier  !  And 
a  highwayman,  too  !  Oh,  brave  !  A  glass  of 
wine  with  you,  Captain,  and  with  you,  sir." 

And  she  drank  to  us  both,  one  after  the  other, 
with  the  prettiest  grace  imaginable  ;  and  demure 
Mrs.  Beatrice,  blushing  and  twinkling,  followed 
the  lead  she  set. 

The  ladies  made  us  extraordinary  good  cheer, 
seasoning  it  with  fine  courtly  speeches  ;  but  as 
for  me,  I  was  so  deadly  famished,  that,  with  the 
best  will  in  the  world,  I  could  scarce  find  fitting 
answers  :  my  wits  drowsed,  and  even  the  Cap- 
tain's tongue  lagged  somewhat.  You  are  to 
remember  we  had  been  some  fifteen  hours  in  the 
saddle,  and  in  the  time  had  each  of  us  ridden  a 
horse  to  death,  besides  enduring  other  fatiguing 
adventures.  I  think  that  Mrs.  Mariabellah  must 
have  perceived  our  condition,  for  she  presently 
took  the  whole  burden  of  talk  upon  herself, 
entertaining  us  with  the  story  of  her  father  the 
Bishop's  misfortune,  when  the  Parliament  ousted 
him  from  his  see  in  the  year  1 646,  so  that  he 
must  retire  to  his  sister's  house  at  the  tiny  hamlet 
of  Soberton,  where  he  died  a  year  or  so  later. 
And  Mrs.  Beatrice's  father,  the  Dean,  had  a 
79 


Captain  Jacobus 

similar  history  ;  for  when  Ironsides  marched 
into  Winchester  with  his  New  Model  at  his 
back,  the  head  of  the  Cathedral  was  forced  to 
beat  a  swift  retreat  to  his  living  at  Over  Wallop. 
But  even  thence  Puritan  malice  pursued  him,  for 
Cromwell,  hot  from  the  sack  of  Basing  House, 
descended  upon  Over  Wallop,  plundered  the  ill- 
starred  old  gentleman  of  his  chief  possessions,  and 
set  a  scab  of  an  Independent  tinker  over  his  head. 

"  So  you  will  understand  we  bear  no  love  to 
the  powers  that  be,"  cried  Mrs.  Mariabellah. 
"  I  would  even  love  to  behold  an  English  Barthol- 
omew-Massacre. There  have  we  been  for  years 
and  years  and  years,  cooped  up  in  the  country,  see- 
ing no  one,  hearing  nothing,  living  a  life  so  deadly 
dull  I  marvel  the  beasts  of  the  field  can  suffer  it. 
At  last  I  said  we  would  take  advantage  of  an  old 
pledge  and  go  visit  my  father's  brother  at  Guild- 
ford,  and  see  something  of  life  if  we  could  before 
we  were  old  and  ugly,  let  me  die  if  I  would  not ! 
So  here  we  are,  you  see." 

"I  make  you  my  compliments,"  said  the 
Captain.  "  I  drink  your  health  in  a  bumper, 
Madam,  and  yours,  Mrs.  Beatrice.  Fill  up, 
Anthony." 

80 


On  the  Road  —  Inn  at  Farnham 

When  at  length  the  cloth  was  drawn,  and  the 
rich  hues  of  burnt  claret  glowed  in  the  mahogany, 
"  Prithee,"  said  Mrs.  Mariabellah,  "  tell  us  of 
adventures."  So,  turn  about,  we  told  the  tale 
of  that  day' s  exploits  ;  and  I  vow  I  would  have 
undergone  our  toils  and  perils  twice  over  to  gain 
such  a  pretty  pair  of  listeners.  The  wine  was 
heady  and  exhilarating,  the  audience  rarely  quick- 
ening to  the  intellectuals  ;  and  although  I  have 
forgotten  every  word  we  said,  I  am  persuaded 
that  we  magnified  each  other's  deeds  to  most 
heroical  proportions,  and  that  we  shone  like 
demi-gods  in  the  eyes  of  those  two  innocent  and 
enraptured  maidens. 

"  And  so  you  have  only  one  horse  between 
you.  Oh,  what  an  iniquity  !  "  cried  Mrs.  Maria- 
bellah, when  we  were  done  with  our  tale. 

"  Well,  I  dare  say  we  shall  not  go  wanting 
one  long,"  remarked  the  Captain. 

"  You  shall  not  indeed,"  said  Mrs.  Beatrice. 
"  Why,  how  lucky,  Mary,  that  we  brought  a 
led  horse  in  case  of  accident.  He  is  yours  from 
this  moment,  Captain.  Take  him  for  the  King  !  " 

The  Captain  rose  and  made  a  very  grand  bow. 
"  Madam,"  he  replied,  "  y*  are  too  generous  ; 
6  81 


Captain  Jacobus 

I  cannot  accept  such  a  gift.  But  an  if  you  can 
spare  the  nag,  I  will  buy  him  very  gratefully  for 
the  King,  for  his  Majesty's  business  is  pressing." 

But  the  ladies  would  not  hear  of  it ;  and  so 
we  argued  the  matter  back  and  forth. 

"Just  because  we  are  women,"  said  Mrs. 
Mariabellah,  "  we  are  not  allowed  to  do  aught 
for  the  King,  forsooth  !  " 

"  Why,  very  well,"  said  Jacobus.  "  If  you 
will  not  sell,  and  the  King's  noblesse  forbids  him 
to  accept,  we  can  but  decide  the  issue  by  the 
cards.  I  will  stake  my  horse  against  yours,  at 
hazard,  primero,  quinze,  all-fours,  or  what  you 
will." 

The  maidens  agreed,  and  calling  for  a  new 
pack,  down  we  sat  to  hazard.  The  end  of  it 
was,  the  Captain  won  ;  and  thus  he  got  his  occa- 
sion for  a  speech,  the  hope  of  which  I  knew 
very  well  had  been  at  the  bottom  of  his  finicking. 

"Ladies,"  said  he,  "you  have  this  night 
done  the  King,  aye,  and  the  nation,  a  service  per- 
haps greater  than  you  know.  'T  is  not  the  first 
time  the  issues  of  a  kingdom  have  turned  upon 
a  lady's  gift.  Be  assured,  his  Majesty  shall  hear 
of  it." 

82 


On  the  Road  —  Inn  at  Farnham 

The  Royalist  ladies  flushed  bright  for  sheer 
pleasure  ;  and  the  scene,  along  with  many  an- 
other, remains  upon  my  memory,  nor  will  dis- 
limn  with  time.  There  is  the  ruddy  light  shining 
and  flickering  upon  the  black  panelling  ;  there  is 
the  glowing  wine  and  the  litter  of  painted  cards  ; 
with  the  two  gay  and  beautiful  girls  in  their  fine 
glistering  attire,  curtseying  side  by  side,  with  a 
grace  that  is  half  mockery  and  half  earnest,  to 
the  Captain,  who,  a  good  deal  flushed,  with 
one  hand  at  his  heart,  stands  making  a  low-leg 
like  a  courtier. 


VI 

ON   THE   ROAD  — THE   GOLDEN 
FARMER 

IT  was  late  the  next  morning  ere  we  awoke, 
although  we  had  laid  our  plans  to  start  at 
sunrise  and  to  escort  the  two  ladies  so  far  as 
Guildford.  When  we  came  downstairs  the  land- 
lady (a  changed  and  gracious  being)  informed 
us  that  they  were  already  gone  near  half  an 
hour.  Mr.  Dickenson,  she  added,  had  de- 
parted over  night,  "holding  a  bloody  clout  to  's 
jaw." 

«« We  will  breakfast  at  Guildford,  Anthony," 
said  Jacobus. 

I  had  to  agree  with  a  good  grace,  though  I 
disliked  exceedingly  this  custom  the  Captain 
had  of  always  breaking  his  fast  some  ten  miles 
farther  on  ;  it  was  nothing  but  sheer,  senseless, 
superfluous  energy  on  his  part,  a  mere  lust  for 
factitious  virtue.  We  found  the  horse  the 
Captain  had  won,  in  the  stable  next  our  own 
84 


On  the  Road  —  The  Golden  Farmer 

nag,  —  or  rather  Mr.  Jedediah's,  —  a  big-boned 
gray  gelding,  a  very  serviceable  beast.  A  lock 
of  his  mane  was  knotted  with  scarlet  ribbon. 
I  untied  this  ladies'  favor,  and  a  slip  of  paper 
fell  out,  upon  which  these  words  were  written 
in  a  fair  hand  :  — 

"  Ladies-errant  seek  other-guess  heroes 
Than  laggardly,  slug-a-bed  Cavalieros." 

I  tossed  the  script  to  the  Captain. 

"  What  !  a  love-letter  so  soon  ! "  said  he. 
"Very  pretty,"  he  added,  reading  it.  "But 
wait  till  they  're  stopped  by  some  scoundrel 
foot-pad  out  upon  the  shark,  and  they  '11  pipe  to 
a  different  tune,  I  '11  warrant ;  for  they  're  out- 
side my  policies  now." 

I  mounted  the  gray,  and  the  Captain  the 
goldsmith's  bayard,  and  we  rode  slowly  up  the 
long  slope  to  the  ridge  of  the  Hog's  Back,  along 
which  the  road  runs  straight  as  a  pike  the  whole 
ten  miles  from  Farnham  to  Guildford,  bordered 
on  either  side  by  a  wide  strip  of  velvet  turf,  and 
enclosed  with  tall,  luxuriant  hedges.  The  east 
wind  had  changed  during  the  night,  and  an 
odorous  western  gale  blew  at  our  backs,  driving 
85 


Captain  Jacobus 

great  armadas  of  gray  cloud  overhead,  whose 
shadows  swept  across  the  fair  plains  lying  be- 
low, seen  as  we  cantered  along  the  wet  grass 
through  gaps  in  the  flitting  hedgerows ;  now 
and  again  a  plump  of  rain  would  fall,  like  a 
shower  of  needles  in  the  glints  of  sunshine. 
We  had  been  riding  thus  for  half  an  hour,  per- 
haps, when  we  came  in  sight  of  a  black  dot 
where  the  lines  of  the  road  ran  into  the  sky. 

"There  they  are,"  said  the  Captain;  and, 
setting  spurs  to  our  horses,  we  presently  made 
out  that  the  group  was  standing  still,  and  con- 
sisted of  four  persons  upon  horseback,  two  of 
whom  were  ladies,  and  the  third  their  groom ; 
but  who  was  the  fourth  ? 

"The  laggards  will  be  in  time  yet,"  said 
Jacobus,  urging  his  horse  to  its  utmost  speed. 
As  we  drew  nearer,  I  observed  that  the  stranger, 
whose  back  was  towards  us,  appeared  to  be 
delivering  a  speech  ;  I  could  see  the  sparkle  where 
the  sun  struck  the  pistol  in  his  right  hand  as  he 
gesticulated.  I  suppose  Mrs.  Mariabellah  and 
Mrs.  Beatrice  found  his  eloquence  something 
tedious,  for,  seeing  our  approach,  they  uttered  a 
cry  of  delight  and  waved  their  kerchiefs ;  but 
86 


On  the  Road  —  The  Golden  Farmer 

the  speaker  merely  glanced  over  his  shoulder 
and  went  on  with  his  oration. 

"'Tis  the  Golden  Farmer,  as  God's-my- 
life  ! "  cried  the  Captain,  pulling  his  horse  into 
a  walk.  "  We  must  hear  him  out,  Anthony, 
for  unless  you  shoot  him  dead,  there  's  no  stop- 
ping him.  The  man  talks  like  a  mill-race,  or  a 
whole  college  of  doctors.  He  would  perish 
else.  He  only  robs  because  it  gives  him  such 
singular  good  opportunities  of  compelling  an 
audience." 

The  orator  was  a  burly,  great-headed,  gray- 
haired  man  with  thick  lips  ;  half  his  face  was 
hidden  by  a  black  mask,  behind  which  his 
yellow  eyes  rolled  as  he  harangued  ;  the  ladies 
and  the  lacquey,  under  the  awe  of  his  pistol, 
were  ranged  in  front  of  him,  like  children  before 
a  schoolmaster. 

"  Hark  you  !  are  ye  not  mad  toads,  to  use  such 
arguments  to  me  ?  I  know  your  sex  too  well, 
Madam,  to  suffer  myself  to  be  prevailed  upon 
by  any  painted  Mrs.  Bitchington  among  ye," 
shouted  the  Golden  Farmer,  in  what  appeared 
to  be  a  peroration.  "  What  talk  of  the  King  to 
me !  Give  me  leave  to  tell  ye,  madonnas,  that 
8? 


Captain  Jacobus 

I  am  king  here,  and  that  I  have. a  household  to 
support  at  the  public  charges  as  well  as  his 
Majesty.  I  collect  my  dues  from  all  that  pass, 
and  why  should  you,  who  would  fling  away  all 
your  rhino  upon  mirrors,  apricoke  paste,  French 
essences,  and  such  like  vain  trifles,  rob  an  honest 
freebooter  upon  his  lawful  occasions  ?  No,  no, 
you  jades  ;  this  haughty  spirit,  this  hyperbolical 
cant,  this  sham  poverty,  will  not  serve  you  here. 
A  plague  on  you  !  Untie  your  purse-strings 
quickly,  or  else  I  shall  send  you  from  the  land 
of  the  living.  Do  you  think  I  have  no  other- 
guess  customers,  that  you  keep  me  waiting  upon 
you  all  the  morning?"  concluded  this  out- 
rageous ruffian,  levelling  his  pistol. 

The  ladies  cried  out.  My  gorge  rose  at  the 
man's  vile  insolence  ;  and  I  closed  in  upon  him 
on  the  one  flank,  pistol  in  hand,  and  caught  his 
wrist,  as  the  Captain  did  the  same  on  the 
other. 

"I  have  never  heard  you  speak  better,"  said 
Jacobus.  "  But  upon  this  occasion  there  will 
be  no  contributions." 

"  Curse  you  !  "  shouted  the  Golden  Farmer, 
struggling,  "what  do  you  here?" 


On  the  Road  —  The  Golden  Farmer 

"Bing  avast,  my  bene-cove,  bing  avast,"  re- 
turned the  Captain,  using  the  thieves'  lingo.  "  I 
bit  the  blow  in  the  darkmans,  and  the  doxies 
are  my  booty."1 

"  Tip  me  my  snack,  or  I  '11  whiddle,"  2  cried 
the  other. 

"Not  a  doit.  Give  me  your  word  to  picque 
peaceably,  or,  by  God,  you  go  below  for 
orders  ! "  and  the  Captain  put  his  pistol  to  the 
Golden  Farmer's  head. 

"  I  '11  picque,  't  is  all  boman,"  8  said  the  free- 
booter, sullenly ;  whereupon  we  released  him, 
and  without  another  word,  striking  spurs  into 
his  horse,  he  wheeled  and  rode  away. 

"  There  goes  a  very  dangerous  companion," 
remarked  Jacobus.  "  And  y'  are  the  first  con- 
gregation that  ever  listened  to  his  silver  discourses 
without  paying  for  the  treat  in  gold." 

He  put  his  horse  in  motion,  and  we  began  to 
ride  forward,  four  abreast,  the  white-faced  little 
lacquey  falling  behind. 

1  "  Be  off,  my  friend,  be  off.    I  robbed  the  girls 
last  night,  and  the  booty  is  mine." 

2  "  Give  me  my  share,  or  I  will  inform  upon  you." 

3  "  I  '11  go,  't  is  all  square." 

89 


Captain  Jacobus 

"We  are  infinitely  beholden  to  you,  gen- 
tlemen," cried  Mrs.  Mariabellah,  who  appeared 
somewhat  changed  and  pale  in  the  morning 
light,  methought,  while  Mrs.  Beatrice,  though 
rosy  as  ever,  wore  a  scared  look  about  her  dark 
eyes. 

"  We  have  a  thousand  apologies  to  make,  on 
our  part,  for  our  laggard  appearance,"  I  said. 

"Had  I  conceived  of  such  a  possibility," 
said  the  Captain,  "  I  would  never  have  gone  to 
bed." 

"And  I  should  never  have  got  up,"  said 
Mrs.  Beatrice. 

"  Pardon  me,"  returned  Jacobus,  "  your  fair 
cousin  would  have  compelled  you,  for  I  know 
she  had  sworn  to  prove  the  force  of  her  bright 
eyes  upon  an  armed  desperado." 

"Y'are  impertinent,  sir,"  said  Mistress 
Curie,  reddening. 

"  Is 't  not  the  truth,  then,  Madam  ?  I  am 
no  courtier  ;  I  cannot  embroider  my  sayings  ;  I 
speak  but  for  your  welfare.  Did  you  not  say 
to  yourself,  or  even,  perhaps,  to  prudent  Mrs. 
Beatrice,  here,  '  Now  let  us  adventure,  and  see 
if  one  of  these  self-same  robbers  of  the  road  will 
90 


On  the  Road  — The  Golden  Farmer 

out-face  a  pretty  damsel !  '  and  therewithal  you 
slip  off  like  a  couple  of  convent  school-girls, 
whilst  two  poor  gentlemen  are  trying  to  get  a 
little  piece  of  rest  from  the  arduous  fatigues  in- 
cident to  his  Majesty's  service.  'T  was  scarce 
kind,  I  think.  Moreover,  you  run  the  risks  of 
dangers  you  know  nothing  of.  No,  no,  Madam, 
you  cannot  play  Una  without  the  Lion,  in  these 
tristful  days,"  concluded  the  Captain,  with  an 
obvious  relish. 

I  cursed  Jacobus  in  my  heart,  for  Mrs.  Bea- 
trice shot  an  appealing  glance  at  me,  and  I  could 
see  that  both  girls  were  over-wrought  and  trem- 
bling from  stress  of  the  danger  they  had  just 
escaped.  They  spurred  a  little  in  advance  of 
us  ;  and  thus  the  Captain,  plucking  at  his  mus- 
tache according  to  his  habit  when  disturbed  in 
mind,  fell  into  step  side  by  side  with  me. 

"  Fay  ce  que  voudras  is  a  privilege  at  all 
times  to  be  reserved  for  ladies,  Captain,"  I  re- 
marked sufficiently  loud  for  them  to  hear. 

He  looked  at  me  doubtfully,  then  his  face 
cleared.  Jacobus  was  one  of  those  natural  phi- 
losophers whose  ignorance  of  women  embodies 
itself  in  a  single  simple  theorem  ;  and  hence,  in 
91 


Captain  Jacobus 

his  relations  with  ladies,  he  frequently  walked 
upon  the  brink  of  catastrophes  wherefrom  not 
even  his  excellent  intentions  could  always  save 
him. 

"  Why,  't  is  very  well  said,  Anthony,"  he 
returned  cheerily.  "  And  if  a  man  be  per- 
mitted to  stave  off  evil  consequence,  't  is  all  he 
can  expect;  he  may  sing  Nunc  dimittis  upon  it, 
and  go  his  way." 

We  rode  along  in  silence  ;  and  gazing  at  the 
two  graceful  figures  in  front,  moving  to  beat  of 
hoofs  through  the  blowing,  changeful,  shining 
landscape,  I  marvelled  to  find  myself  as  cold  as 
though  I  were  before  a  picture.  A  year  ago  or 
thereabouts  I  would  have  played  the  lover,  or  at 
least  dallied  somewhat  with  the  part ;  now  my 
mind  reached  back  with  a  strong  recoil  to  a  blue- 
eyed  damsel  sitting  lonely  in  a  gray  city  leagues 
behind  us,  and  I  found  that  I  cared  not  the 
toss  of  a  coin  whether  or  no  I  was  ever  to  see 
those  two  pretty  ladies  again.  When  they  were 
come  to  the  top  of  the  long  hill  that  descends 
upon  the  tail  of  Guildford  town  they  turned  to 
await  us,  the  wind  fluttering  their  gay  riding- 
dresses,  and  playing  daintily  with  strayling  locks. 
92 


On  the  Road  —  The  Golden  Farmer 

The  cloud  was  quite  dispelled  from  a  pair  of 
flushed  and  kindly  faces. 

"Gentlemen,"  said  Mrs.  Mariabellah,  "'tis 
very  sad,  but  I  think  it  will  be  proper  for  us 
to  part  here,  though  not,  let  us  ever  hope  for 
always.  How  can  we  thank  you  for  your 
valor  ? ' ' 

While  she  was  speaking,  the  Captain  had 
taken  a  couple  of  Jacobuses  from  his  pocket ; 
holding  them  on  his  saddle-bow  he  graved  some- 
thing upon  each  with  the  point  of  his  dagger. 
He  had  been  making  of  a  little  speech,  and 
arranging  a  situation,  as  we  came  along,  I  could 
see,  and  now  his  time  had  come. 

"  Alas,"  said  he,  "  't  is  ever  the  way  of  this 
floating  world  that  we  cannot  be  where  we 
would :  sometimes  we  are  fast  a-bed  when  we 
should  be  in  the  saddle ;  and  again,  the  King 
his  service  haleth  us  willy-nilly  from  delight. 
But  since  so  it  must  be,  set  the  crown  upon 
your  favorable  kindness,  I  beseech  you,  ladies, 
and  accept  a  token  that  should  safe-guard  you 
upon  all  the  West  Country  roads,  until  the  King 
comes  home."  And  with  his  best  air,  dismount- 
ing, he  gave  a  broad-piece  to  each  lady,  kissing, 
93 


Captain  Jacobus 

as  he  did  so,  the  hand  she  stretched  forth  to 
receive  it. 

"  And  when  that  day  comes,  as  it  will  swiftly, 
I  vow  there  will  be  no  more  gallant  gentleman, 
no,  not  even  the  King  his  Majesty,  restored  to 
place  and  honor,  than  Captain  Jacobus,"  cried 
Mrs.  Mariabellah. 

I  was  standing  at  Mrs.  Beatrice's  knee;  and 
thinking,  I  suppose,  that  I  might  feel  a  little  cast 
into  the  shadow  by  the  Captain's  glittering  per- 
formances, she  glanced  at  me  with  a  sudden 
kindly  look.  I  thought  it  mighty  pretty  of  the 
maiden,  and  I  took  her  hand  and  saluted  her. 

"Madam,"  I  said,  "I  pray  you  remember 
always  I  am  your  faithful  and  willing  friend  to 
serve  you." 

"And  you,  Mr.  Langford,"  said  she, 
«'y*  have  gained  two  friends.  Forget  it  not." 

I  made  my  adieux  to  Mrs.  Mariabellah,  who 
spoke  with  equal  courtesy  ;  but  I  could  see  her 
mind  was  possessed  by  Jacobus.  Then  the  two 
ladies  turned  and  rode  away  down  the  hill,  fol- 
lowed by  the  little  groom,  to  whom  the  Captain 
tossed  a  crown.  We  stood  watching  the  lessen- 
ing figures  until  they  came  to  a  turn  in  the  road, 
94 


On  the  Road  —  The  Golden  Farmer 

when  they  looked  back  and  flashed  a  kerchief  5n 
the  sunshine. 

' '  Youthful  and  fair  and  ignorant  and  good,  — 
upon  what  a  singular  world  those  perilous  eyes 
look  out !  "  quoth  the  Captain,  as  we  remounted. 
"I  marvel  what  it  must  be  like,  Anthony. 
Well,  your  fair  lady  is  a  pretty  toy,  indeed.  I 
bless  God  for  her !  But  she  is  a  sad  hindrance 
to  business ;  and  I  shall  eat  the  bigger  breakfast 
that  we  are  no  longer  cumbered." 

I  knew  better  than  to  say  what  I  thought, 
and  we  pursued  our  way  in  silence  into  the  old 
steep  town  of  Guildford,  where  we  put  up  at  the 
White  Kart.  When  we  were  fairly  on  the  road 
again,  I  reflected  that  there  were  thirty  profitable 
miles  of  road  to  London,  and  plainly  foresaw 
further  difficulties  with  my  pragmatical  conscience. 
But  although  now  and  again  big,  ruddy,  well-liking 
farmers  would  be  jogging  to  meet  us,  or  a  coach 
with  outriders  would  lumber  by,  Jacobus  rode  all 
day  as  peaceably  as  he  had  been  a  simple  citizen. 
The  dusk  was  gathering,  and  the  broad  river 
glassed  a  red  sunset  as  we  passed  the  Lord  Pro- 
tector's palace  of  Hampton  Court,  and  the  dark 
had  fallen  by  the  time  we  were  climbing  the  hill 
95 


Captain  Jacobus 

to  Putney  Heath.  The  wind,  which  had  been 
waxing  steadily  all  day,  roared  in  the  thickets 
through  which  the  road  ascended,  and  the  bat- 
tered crescent  of  the  moon  in  wane  shone  in  fly- 
ing gleams  between  serried  and  swiftly  marching 
regiments  of  cloud.  In  one  of  these  flashes  I  saw 
a  horseman  spurring  past  us,  wrapped  in  a  great 
furred  cloak.  A  moment  afterwards  I  heard  the 
Captain's  voice  above  the  wind  and  the  thrashing 
of  the  branches,  shouting  in  my  ear. 

"  I  think  your  nag  hath  cast  a  shoe.  See  to  't 
before  we  go  farther." 

I  dismounted  instantly,  and  felt  the  beast's  feet, 
to  find  him  securely  shod.  As  I  raised  myself  to 
climb  into  the  saddle  again,  there  came  another 
gleam  of  moonlight,  and  I  glanced  about  for  the 
Captain.  A  bow's  shoot  further  along  the  road 
I  saw  two  black  figures  motionless  amid  the  toss- 
ing silver  landscape  ;  Jacobus  stood  with  levelled 
pistol,  while  the  rider  in  the  furred  cloak  seemed 
to  be  groping  in  his  saddle-bags  ;  and  beyond,  a 
man  hanged  high  upon  a  gibbet  swang  limply 
to  and  fro,  chin  to  breast  and  toes  to  earth. 
Down  the  wind  came  an  odious,  heart-heaving 
waft,  and  a  clinking  of  chains.  The  night  shut 
96 


On  the  Road  —  The  Golden  Farmer 

close  again  like  a  curtain  :  after  discreetly  waiting 
a  few  moments,  I  rode  slowly  forwards  ;  and 
presently  discovered  the  Captain  at  my  side.  We 
exchanged  no  word  until  we  had  passed  beneath 
the  dead  man,  when  the  Captain  cried  a  saluta- 
tion to  him. 

"  He  was  a  generous  cully  while  he  lived," 
said  •  Jacobus.  "  And  now,  'twixt  hawk  and 
buzzard,  he  is  food  for  the  hoody-crows." 

"  May  I  never  come  to  say  the  same  at  your 
gallows' -foot,  Captain,"  said  I. 

"  Amen  !  "  rejoined  Jacobus,  piously. 

Soon  after,  turning  to  the  right,  we  rode 
through  Wandsworth,  westwards  to  Lambeth, 
where  the  murdered  Archbishop's  Palace  loomed 
across  the  marsh-flats,  thence  to  London  Bridge  ; 
and  so,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  set  foot  in 
London  Town.  I  do  not  know  to  what  I  had 
looked  forward;  but  the  narrow, dim-lighted  streets 
and  the  close  air  struck  me  with  a  sense  of  outrage 
and  indecency.  After  winding  through  a  maze 
of  mean  and  noisome  lanes  and  alleys,  we  came  out 
upon  a  long  thoroughfare,  which,  so  the  Captain 
informed  me,  was  Fleet  Street, where  was  the  Globe 
Tavern,  and  there  we  drew  rein  for  the  night. 
7  97 


VII 

THE   BELL-MAN   OF   SAINT 
SEPULCHRE'S 

SO  soon  as  we  had  supped,  the  unwearying 
Jacobus  announced  that  he  must  pay  a  visit 
to  a  certain  lady  of  his  acquaintance,  and  would 
have  me  to  accompany  him.  Accordingly  we 
repaired  to  a  house  but  two  doors  off,  which  was 
lighted  up  as  if  for  a  festival. 

"  Captain,"  I  said,  "what  place  is  this  ? " 
"  The  home  of  a  gaudy  temptation,  boy,  the 
vestibule  to  ruined  fortunes  :  a  magical  palace 
where  time  is  not,  for  a  man  may  live  a  lifetime 
in  a  moment,  and  Adam's  curse  is  abrogated,  in 
virtue  of  a  handful  of  painted  cards.  Didst  never 
take  a  fit  o*  the  cards,  Anthony  ?  But  of  course 
you  would  not  do  't,"  said  the  Captain,  attempt- 
ing the  ironical. 

"  'T  is  a  nice  business  to  indulge  on  the  left 
hand,   without  punishing  on  the   right,  as  the 
proverb  goes,"  I  returned. 
98 


The  Bell-Man  of  Saint  Sepulchre's 

*'  Come,"  said  Jacobus,  "try  to  forget,  once 
again,  that  y'  are  no  Bible-mad  evangelist,  and  to 
remember  that  we  are  about  King's  business.  I 
desire  you  to  take  particular  heed  of  the  con- 
versation :  there  cannot  be  too  many  checks  on 
the  bridle  of  this  sort  of  cattle." 

There  was  no  need  to  knock,  for  lounging  in 
the  doorway  was  a  slatternly  down-at-heel  wench 
who  greeted  Jacobus  in  terms  of  familiarity. 

"  You  will  find  Mrs.  Moll  at  her  accompts," 
she  added,  and  the  Captain,  who  seemed  to 
know  the  place,  walked  upstairs  to  the  first-floor, 
where  there  were  doors  in  front  and  upon  the 
left  hand.  A  great  noise  of  talk,  laughter,  and 
the  clink  of  glasses  came  from  behind  the  door 
in  front  ;  but  it  was  upon  the  other  that  Jacobus 
knocked  twice  in  a  particular  manner.  A  voice 
cried  out  to  us  to  enter,  and  upon  opening  the 
door  we  found  ourselves  in  a  panelled  room  of 
moderate  size  and  good  proportion.  Lights 
burned  upon  the  high  wooden  mantel,  and  a  sole 
candle  stood  upon  the  polished  table  at  the  side  of 
the  fire,  illuminating  the  face  of  one  who  sat 
smoking  a  long  clay  pipe,  behind  a  great  brass- 
bound  ledger  which  lay  open  next  a  bottle  and  a 
99 


Captain  Jacobus 

half  empty  glass.  At  first  I  could  not  determine 
whether  the  singular  monster  who  rose  as  we 
entered  were  male  or  female,  Michael  or  Dia- 
bolus  :  for  the  sleek  countenance  was  that  of  a 
sly,  good-humored,  evil  woman  ;  while  the 
doublet  and  slashed  gaskins  might  have  served 
the  turn  of  a  needy  sloven  of  a  gentleman  :  but 
the  Captain's  greeting  informed  me. 

"  Give  you  good-den,  Mrs.  Mary.  This 
gentleman,  my  friend,  and  I  would  be  glad  of  a 
piece  of  a  talk  with  you  upon  certain  affairs." 

"  With  all  my  heart,  Captain,"  responded 
Moll  Cutpurse,  in  a  voice  har-sh  yet  insinuating, 
which  put  me  mind  of  a  snail  crawling  upon  a 
window-pane.  "  Y'  are  ever  welcome  to  my 
poor  house.  Methought  you  would  to  Rumvile,1 
so  soon  as  I  heard  that  poor  Mr.  Armorer  would 
be  shoving  the  tumbles  from  the  Checquers 2  to 
Tyburn.' ' 

"  Is  the  date  appointed  ?  "  asked  Jacobus. 

"The  day  after  to-morrow,  I  have  sure 
news.  Such  a  mighty  pretty,  civil  young 
gentleman,  too,  and  such  a  way  with  the  wenches 

1  London. 

2  Whipped  at  the  cart's  tail  from  Newgate. 


The  Bell-Man  of  Saint  Sepulchre's 

as  he  hath.  Well,  well  !  Holborn  Hill  is  the 
road  to  glory  for  such  as  we,  Captain,  be  it 
soon  or  be  it  late.  But  sit  ye  down,  gentlemen, 
draw  to  the  fire,  and  what  will  ye  drink  now  ? ' ' 

"A  cup  of  Rosa  Solis  for  me,"  answered 
the  Captain. 

I  had  no  mind  to  drink  in  neighborly  fashion 
in  such  a  house,  but  a  glance  from  Jacobus  told 
me  it  were  best  for  us  ;  and,  as  civilly  as  I  could, 
I  said  I  would  have  the  same.  Mrs.  Cutpurse 
rose,  and  crossing  the  room  with  her  man's 
stride,  she  flung  aside  a  heavy  curtain  which 
hung  on  the  wall  to  the  right  of  the  door  by 
which  we  had  entered,  disclosing  a  leaded  case- 
ment brightly  painted  with  a  curious,  lewd 
design,  which  gave  upon  the  room  beyond.  As 
the  woman  opened  the  window  a  broken  torrent 
of  talk  and  shrill  laughter  flowed  upon  our  ears, 
mingled  with  the  crazy  notes  of  a  song.  Mrs. 
Cutpurse  leaned  over  the  sill  and  called  for  the 
liquor,  and,  moving  a  pace,  I  looked  over  her 
shoulder,  seized  with  an  eager  curiosity.  A 
company  of  gallants  sat  about  the  lighted  tables  : 
many  were  playing  at  cards,  entirely  sunk  in  a 
watchful  absorption  ;  while  others,  flushed  and 


Captain  Jacobus 

disordered,  were  drinking  and  noisily  singing. 
One  uplifted  gentleman,  with  a  foot  upon  the 
table  and  a  wine-glass  held  askew  in  his  shaking 
hand  so  that  the  liquor  spilled,  was  chanting  a 
song  of  the  Rump  with  a  very  scandalous  bob 
to  it. 

«'  Will  you  not  join  my  merry  company  as- 
sembled, my  pretty  gentleman,  while  I  discuss 
with  the  sober  Captain?"  asked  Mrs.  Moll, 
turning  to  me  with  a  leer,  and  ran  on  in  her 
horrible  voice,  that  rasped  upon  me  like  a 
finger-nail  on  silk,  in  force  to  cajole  me.  But  I 
answered  very  shortly,  turning  my  back  broad 
upon  her;  and  the  liquor  being  brought,  she 
hasped  the  window,  drew  the  curtain,  and  with- 
out any  more  words  sat  down  again  at  the  table, 
facing  the  Captain  ;  while  I  drew  a  chair  to 
the  fire  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  hearth. 

"  At  your  service,  Captain,"  said  Mrs.  Cut- 
purse,  cheerily,  with  unruffled  composure. 
"  You  want  a  gob  of  money,  as  usual,  I  take 
it.  Well,  now,  and  what  is  the  sum  ?  " 

"Mrs.  Cutpurse,  I  should  explain  to  you 
Mr.  Langford,  keeps  her  moneys  at  the  charges 
of  the  Commonwealth,"  said  the  Captain. 


The  Bell-Man  of  Saint  Sepulchre's 

«« 'T  is  the  only  privilege,  perhaps,  she  shares 
with  Oliver,  as  the  similarity  of  their  hand  of 
write  is  the  single  point  of  likeness  between 
them.  But  the  last,  it  is  true,  Mrs.  Cutpurse 
shares  with  every  one  who  have  skill  to  write 
at  all." 

Indeed,  this  female  iniquity  was  so  accom- 
plished a  forgeress  that  upon  several  occasions 
the  Commonwealth  Treasury  honored  her 
drafts  for  large  sums,  supposing  them  to  be 
genuine  j  until  at  length  Cromwell  was  forced 
to  invent  a  private  mark. 

Captain  Jacobus  then  proceeded  to  unfold 
his  proposal :  which  was,  that  Mrs.  Cutpurse 
should  repair  on  the  morrow  to  Wallingford 
House  with  a  forged  warrant  for  a  thousand 
pounds,  and  that  during  the  night  following, 
the  Captain  should  bring  to  her  ample  security 
for  that  amount  —  in  what  form  did  not  trans- 
pire —  and  exchange  it  for  the  money.  Mrs. 
Cutpurse  put  questions  and  made  conditions 
with  the  acerb  shrewdness  of  a  scrivener  ;  and 
that  business  was  speedily  despatched.  The 
Captain  then  went  on  to  disclose  the  details  of 
a  scheme  to  be  carried  through  during  the 
103 


Captain  Jacobus 

next  four-and-twenty  hours,  in  which  Mrs. 
Cutpurse  was  to  bear  a  main  part.  Mean- 
while, I  sat  back  in  the  shadow,  taking  careful 
heed  of  their  talk.  The  devil' s-din  in  the  next 
chamber  went  on,  with  now  and  again  a  ring 
of  broken  glass,  a  cascade  of  tipsy  laughter,  or  a 
swinging  song  with  a  roaring  chorus.  I  found 
time  between-whiles  to  marvel  at  the  romanti- 
cal  volutions  of  circumstance  :  at  this  hour  I 
should  have  been  riding  homewards  across 
Salisbury  Downs,  my  head  full  of  sunbright, 
happy  memories ;  and  the  field  of  dark  and 
rolling  hills,  domed  with  the  sparkling  sky, 
rose  before  me.  I  recalled  the  thymy  scent  of 
the  night-wind  breathing  in  my  face  ;  and  look- 
ing round  the  close  chamber,  which  seemed  to 
copy  the  vicious  aspect  of  its  owner,  a  sense  of 
intolerable  sickness  took  me,  and  I  got  suddenly 
to  my  feet. 

At  the  same  moment  the  Captain  came  to  an 
end  and  rose  also.  We  made  our  way  out  of 
the  house  by  a  narrow  back  stairway  which  led 
us  into  an  alley  as  dark  as  pitch.  I  could  dis- 
cern nothing  but  a  confusion  of  roofs  against  a 
jagged  piece  of  sky,  where  the  stars  were  wink- 
104 


The  Bell-Man  of  Saint  Sepulchre's 

ing.  But  the  Captain  went  confidently  for- 
ward, and  two  or  three  sharp  turns  brought  us 
into  Fleet  Street,  which  was  dimly  lighted  at 
long  intervals  by  oil-lamps  slung  on  chains  be- 
twixt the  houses.  The  place  was  deserted  save 
for  a  few  prowling  shadows,  and  in  the  distance, 
the  glimmering  lanterns  of  the  watch.  The 
clock  of  Saint  Dunstan's  was  clanging  twelve  as 
we  reached  the  door  of  our  tavern  ;  and  upon 
the  last  reverberation  followed  the  far-away 
scream  of  a  woman,  a  confused  shouting,  and 
the  clash  of  steel. 

"  Alsatians  serenading,"  quoth  Jacobus, 
"  down  in  Whitefriars  yonder.  You  would 
not  hold  our  friend  Mrs.  Cutpurse  in  all  points 
as  the  fruit  of  the  Holy  Seed,  perhaps;  but 
were  I  to  take  you  to  houses  I  wot  of  in 
Alsatia,  you  would  think  her  bagnio  a  conventi- 
cle, by  comparison.  But  come  in  to  bed,  my 
young  friend.  I  shall  to  sleep  like  a  dog,  till 
nature  wakes  me  ;  and  I  would  counsel  you  to 
the  same,  for  it's  little  enough  sleep  you  '11  get 
presently." 

But  I  lay  long  awake  that  night,  for  I  was 
over- weary.  The  liquor  I  had  drunk  had  set 
105 


Captain  Jacobus 

my  brain  clear  as  a  lighted  room,  wherein  I 
acted  over  and  over  again  the  scenes  of  the  past 
three  days ;  and  when  at  last  I  fell  on  sleep  a 
little  before  dawn,  the  scream  of  the  woman 
rang  in  my  dreams,  and  I  seemed  to  see  her 
fleeing  through  narrow  mazes,  pursued  by  ruf- 
fians ;  and  try  as  I  might,  I  could  never  come 
up  to  her,  nor  see  her  face. 

It  was  high  noon  before  we  rose  next  day  ; 
and  after  a  great  and  choice  meal  we  set  forth 
into  the  streets.  Here  I  speedily  grew  discom- 
fortably  angry  with  the  jostling  tide  of  way- 
farers, who  made  nothing  of  elbowing  a  man 
into  the  kennel  without  so  much  as  a  word; 
while  the  horrible  clamor  of  the  flat-capped 
'prentices  crying  their  masters'  wares  upon  the 
pavement  filled  my  ears  ;  and  the  warm  fetid 
smell  of  the  place,  like  that  of  a  swamp,  nau- 
seated me  to  the  gizzard.  We  passed  down 
Fleet  Street  and  up  Ludgate  Hill  to  Paul's. 
At  the  corner  of  the  Churchyard  the  Captain 
showed  me,  as  he  had  done  at  Winchester  by 
Brother  Jedediah,  the  low-browed  house  and 
close-shuttered  shop  of  Brother  Emanuel,  and 
his  gilded  sign  decently  draped  in  black  sarcenet. 
1 06 


The  Bell-Man  of  Saint  Sepulchre's 

Walking  in  Paul's  for  awhile,  we  found  it 
crowded  with  bargaining  merchants,  bustling 
cits,  gallants  and  their  lasses,  more  like  a  cried 
fair  than  a  temple  of  God.  Thence  we  took 
our  way  down  Blow-Bladder  Street  to  Newgate 
Prison,  a  part  of  which,  as  it  served  for  the 
City  gate-house,  stood  on  either  side  of  the  road. 
The  buildings  were  tall  and  narrow,  with  a 
great  door  in  the  centre,  and  a  single  tier  of 
plain  barred  windows  rising  on  each  side.  A 
little  beyond  is  Giltspur  Street,  which,  branch- 
ing into  two  on  either  side  of  a  pile  of  buildings 
at  its  junction  with  Newgate  Street,  turns  off 
towards  Smithfield.  The  church  of  Saint  Sepul- 
chre stands  at  the  further  corner.  These  partic- 
ulars, together  with  the  relative  positions  of  the 
adjacent  streets  and  side  alleys,  I  must  learn  by 
heart,  in  view  of  the  night's  work  ;  and  to  this 
end  we  paced  about  and  about,  backwards  and 
forwards,  until  I  had  the  tract  of  huddled  houses 
bounded  by  the  Fleet  Prison  and  Paul's  on  the 
west  and  east  respectively,  Fleet  Street  on  the 
south,  and  Smithfield  on  the  north,  clear  as  a 
map  in  my  head.  By  that  time  it  had  fallen 
dusk,  and  we  returned  to  the  Globe  Tavern  to 
107 


Captain  Jacobus 

dine.  As  we  sat  at  meat  Captain  Jacobus  im- 
pressed upon  me  the  order  for  the  night's  enter- 
prise with  great  particularity.  The  first  thing  to 
do  was  to  get  speech  of  the  condemned  highway- 
man, Mr.  Nicholas  Armorer,  who  (it  will  be 
remembered)  had  been  taken  by  Cromwell's 
patrol  immediately  after  having  slain  Mr.  Secre- 
tary Thurloe's  express  from  the  Low  Coun- 
tries. Now  the  success  of  the  Penruddock  plot 
depended  upon  the  Government's  ignorance 
thereof;  if  Armorer  had  destroyed  the  mails 
before  he  was  overpowered,  all  was  so  far  well ; 
but  if,  on  the  other  hand,  they  had  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  his  captors,  the  whole  plan  of 
operations  must  be  altered.  The  prisoner,  and 
the  prisoner  alone,  could  give  us  this  most 
necessary  news  ;  and  if  the  Captain  succeeded 
in  winning  to  him,  Jacobus  would  at  the  same 
time  convey  a  parcel  of  weapons  with  which  he 
might  make  good  his  escape.  To  this  end 
Jacobus  intended  to  personate  the  Bell-Man  of 
Saint  Sepulchre's,  who  administered  the  consola- 
tions of  religion  to  all  condemned  criminals  the 
night  before  their  execution. 

For  a  certain  Mrs.   Elizabeth  Elliott,  whose 
108 


The  Bell-Man  of  Saint  Sepulchre's 

son,  having  been  condemned  to  death  and  at 
the  last  moment  reprieved  by  the  King's 
clemency,  dying  some  few  years  since,  had  in 
gratitude  bequeathed  a  sum  of  money  to  the 
Parish  of  Saint  Sepulchre's,  to  the  intent  that 
they  should  find  a  man  forever,  who,  betwixt  the 
hours  of  eleven  and  twelve  the  night  before  the 
prisoner's  execution,  should  go  under  Newgate, 
giving  warning  of  his  presence  by  the  solemn 
ringing  of  a  hand-bell.  He  was  then  to  put 
them  in  mind  of  their  imminent  end  by  the 
reading  of  certain  prayers  and  pious  exhortations. 
Now  Mrs.  Moll  Cutpurse  had  undertaken  to 
entice  the  Bell-Man  into  her  house  that  even- 
ing ;  the  Captain  would  take  from  him  his 
book  of  devotions,  and  habit  himself  in  the 
great  blue  cloak  with  silver  buttons  in  which 
the  Bell-Man  officiated.  My  part  in  the  plot 
was,  briefly,  to  withdraw  the  crowd  from  about 
the  Captain  in  order  to  secure  him  a  few 
moments  of  solitude  wherein  to  accomplish  his 
design.  I  must  then  return  to  the  house  of 
Mrs.  Cutpurse  and  there  await  Jacobus,  who, 
it  seemed,  had  another  business  in  hand.  When 
I  learned  the  details,  I  owned  to  myself  the 
109 


Captain  Jacobus 

design  wore  a  singukrly  desperate  aspect  ;  but 
there  was  no  question  of  thievery  this  time  ; 
and  I  promised  myself,  at  the  least,  some  pleas- 
urable excitement.  Nor  was  I  in  any  sense 
disappointed  in  that  expectation. 

The  dinner  eaten,  we  primed  our  pistols 
afresh,  and,  fully  armed,  masked,  and  cloaked, 
made  a  circuit  and  entered  the  bagnio  by  the 
privy  door.  We  found  the  lady  flauntingly 
apparelled  in  purple  Lucca  velvet,  much  bedecked 
and  bejewelled;  and  I  misliked  her  more  than 
ever.  Dressed  as  a  man  she  appeared  merely 
monstrous,  but  clothed  as  a  woman  she  seemed 
to  insult  her  sex.  She  led  us  straightway  into  a 
little  apartment  that  opened  off  the  room  in 
which  she  had  entertained  us  the  night  before  ; 
and  there,  all  fallen  together  in  a  great  chair  by 
the  fire,  a  huge,  gross  man  with  a  tangle  of  red 
hair  lay  in  a  slumber  so  profound  that,  had  he 
been  dead,  he  could  have  been  no  more  insen- 
sible of  our  approach.  A  black-jack  stood  on 
the  floor  at  his  side,  empty  ;  and  a  faint,  pungent 
odor  hung  in  the  air. 

"He  drinks  a  mighty  potation,"  remarked 
Mrs.  Moll,  "  and  after  the  way  I  mixed  it,  I'll 
no 


The  Bell-Man  of  Saint  Sepulchre's 

warrant  him  to  slumber  through  the  trumpet- 
blast  of  the  great  Archangel." 

The  Captain  doffed  his  hat,  and,  picking  up 
the  Bell-Man's  blue  camlet  cloak  from  behind 
the  door,  put  it  on  and  pulled  the  hood  over  his 
head.  Searching  in  the  lining,  he  presently 
drew  forth  a  thin  volume  bound  in  brown 
leather,  and  conned  it  swiftly  through. 

«« There  is  a  cursedly  scant  measure  of  the 
farrago,"  said  he.  "You  must  be  mighty 
quick,  Anthony,  or  I  shall  have  to  spin  prayers 
out  of  my  head  like  an  Independent.  This  is  a 
job  would  have  better  suited  the  Golden 
Farmer." 

Upon  leaving  the  house,  we  found  awaiting 
us  at  the  door  the  Bell-Man's  open  cart,  to 
which  a  big  black  mule  was  harnessed.  A 
'prentice-lad  stood  at  the  brute's  head,  and  a 
number  of  idlers  had  gathered  round.  I  took 
the  reins,  the  Captain  tossed  the  boy  a  coin,  and 
climbing  into  the  cart,  we  set  off  towards  Saint 
Sepulchre's  upon  Snow  Hill.  The  mule  went 
at  a  funeral  pace  ;  and  finding  that  no  persuasion 
prevailed  upon  it,  I  desisted  therefrom,  supposing 
that  the  beast  was  trained  to  the  proper  custom. 
in 


Captain  Jacobus 

The  crowd  increased  momentarily,  and  began  to 
surround  us,  until  by  the  time  we  descried  the 
swinging  lanterns  of  the  Watch  at  the  corner  by 
the  church,  the  multitude  must  have  numbered 
some  two  or  three  hundred.  Many  in  the 
procession  carried  links ;  so  that  the  red  gleam 
flitted  from  casement  to  casement  of  the  houses 
on  either  hand,  lit  strongly  and  struck  into 
vividness  faces  here  and  there  among  the  throng, 
while  a  world  of  shadows  danced  overhead,  amid 
the  smoke  and  glare.  At  Saint  Sepulchre's,  the 
Watch,  with  shouldered  bills,  brown  or  bright, 
fell  in  among  the  crowd  j  and  in  this  order  we 
arrived  at  Newgate. 

Stopping  the  cart  in  the  middle  of  the  road, 
I  jumped  down  and  began  to  work  my  way 
through  the  throng,  which  strove  to  press  close. 
The  glare  of  the  torches  flickered  upon  the 
grisly  walls  and  tiers  of  black  barred  windows ; 
looking  back,  I  saw  the  Captain  rise  to  his  feet 
and  open  his  book. 

"Gentlemen,  are  you  awake  ?  "  he  cried,  in 
a  great  voice,  scanning  the  grim  fronts  of  the 
prison  to  left  and  right. 

I  had   but  time  to  catch  an  answering  cry 

112 


CLIMBING  INTO  THE  CART,  WE  SET  OFF  TOWARDS 
ST.  SEPULCHRE'S. 


The  Bell-Man  of  Saint  Sepulchre's 

from  within  the  condemned  hold,  when  I  was 
clear  of  the  press,  and  running  hot-foot  back  to 
Giltspur  Street.  Reaching  the  back  of  the 
square  of  houses  on  either  side  of  which  Gilt- 
spur  Street  branches  into  Newgate  Street,  I 
paused,  and  looked  about ;  for  it  was  in  this 
place,  well  within  hearing  of  Newgate,  that  I 
purposed  to  raise  a  hue-and-cry.  The  street 
was  deadly  quiet,  so  that  my  footsteps  made  an 
extraordinary  commotion  ;  and  so  far  as  I  could 
discern  by  the  faint  starlight  and  the  glimmer  of 
a  lamp  at  a  little  distance,  not  so  much  as  a  cat 
was  stirring.  Stepping  out  into  the  roadway, 
which  here  formed  a  small  open  space  of  triangu- 
lar shape,  I  opened  my  mouth  and  shouted 
"  Fire,  ho  !  Fire  !  " 

The  word  had  an  effect,  immediate  and  un- 
expected. From  the  shadows  a  figure  detached 
itself  and  came  swiftly  towards  me.  As  it  drew 
nearer,  I  made  out  the  form  of  a  man  something 
smaller  and  slighter  built  than  myself ;  the  face 
under  the  broad  hat  was  closely  muffled. 

"Where  is  the  fire,  sir?"  inquired  the 
stranger,  eagerly,  peering  about  at  the  dark  and 
silent  houses. 

8  113 


Captain  Jacobus 

This  was  a  difficulty  I  had  not  anticipated. 
"  Why,  here,  sir,"  I  answered.  "  Do  you  not 
see  it  ?  Help  me  to  raise  the  alarm,  then. 
There  is  no  time  to  be  lost ;  "  and  I  was  fetch- 
ing my  breath  for  another  alarum  when  the 
stranger  clapped  a  hand  upon  my  mouth. 

"  Y*  are  mad,  or  jesting,"  he  said,  angrily. 
'« There  is  no  fire.  And  I  want  the  street  kept 
quiet." 

"And  I  want  it  raised,"  I  returned,  pinion- 
ing him.  "  Leave  me  be,  my  little  man,  or  I 
will  break  you  in  pieces." 

My  gallant  struggled  furiously,  and  dealing 
him  a  kick  that  sent  him  headlong,  I  began  to 
halloo  at  the  top  of  my  pipe.  In  another  mo- 
ment casements  were  flung  open,  night-capped 
heads  bobbed  out,  and  voices  from  all  quarters 
took  up  the  cry.  My  gentleman  picked  him- 
self from  the  kennel  and  ran  upon  me  with 
naked  blade. 

"  Look,  then !  "  I  cried  ;  and,  obeying  my 
outstretched  arm,  he  stopped  and  turned,  then, 
with  an  inarticulate  cry,  dashed  forward. 

For  at  that  very  instant,  to  my  extreme 
amazement,  I  spied  a  light  tongue  of  flame 
114 


The  Bell-Man  of  Saint  Sepulchre's 

amid  a  spiral  of  smoke  upon  the  thatched  roof 
of  the  house  opposite  to  me,  then  another  and 
another,  and  before  I  could  move,  the  place 
was  burning  like  a  torch.  My  task  was  accom- 
plished, with  a  vengeance ;  the  crowd  came 
pouring  through  the  narrow  streets  on  either 
side  the  central  block  in  the  midst  of  which 
my  house  was  blazing.  I  felt  as  if  I  had  set 
light  to  it  myself,  and  fought  my  way  towards 
the  flames  with  intent  to  do  what  I  might  to 
extinguish  them.  Half-way  through  the  crowd 
I  met  my  young  gallant  carrying  a  wench  in 
his  arms,  the  people  making  way  for  him. 

f<  O  you  !  "  he  cried,  stopping.  "  I  think 
you  must  be  a  witch  or  the  Devil.  I  have 
been  watching  the  place  all  night,  and  how 
could  it  have  caught  fire  ?  Make  way,  sir. 
You  shall  not  stop  me  !  " 

I  never  saw  a  boy  so  mad  with  excitement, 
and  as  I  stepped  aside  to  let  him  pass  I  noted 
that  the  girl  was  fully  dressed  as  if  for  riding. 
Then  my  imminent  appointment  with  the  Cap- 
tain coming  to  mind,  I  freed  myself  from  the 
roaring  mobile  and  took  my  way  back  to  Fleet 
Street.  As  I  walked  my  head  cooled,  and  it 


Captain  Jacobus 

broke  upon  my  understanding  that  had  it  not 
been  for  the  singular  chance  of  the  conflagration 
(an  accident,  perhaps,  of  the  young  lady's 
vigil),  I  had  come  extraordinary  near  to  up- 
setting a  deeply-schemed  plan  of  elopement. 


116 


VIII 

MR.   AND   MRS.  CUTPURSE 

LOATH  as  I  was  to  enter  the  gambling  den, 
I  feared  to  loiter  in  the  street  ;  and  find- 
ing the  privy  door  upon  the  latch,  I  mounted 
the  dark  stairs  to  the  room  we  had  but  lately 
left.  Mrs.  Moll  was  sitting  at  ease  by  the  fire, 
pipe  in  mouth,  a  glass  of  schnapps  at  her  elbow, 
and  greeted  me  with  her  customary  offensive 
conplaisance. 

"I  am  glad,  indeed,  to  see  you  safe  and 
sound,  Mr.  Langford.  And  how  have  you 
sped,  sir,  and  what  will  you  drink  while  you 
tell  me  ?  Canary,  Rhenish,  Xeres,  burnt  claret, 
sack,  Rosa  Soils  — What  you  will  ?" 

"Nothing,  I  thank  you/'  I  said,  for  although 
I  was  mighty  dry,  the  remembrance  of  Mrs. 
Cutpurse's  hospitality  to  the  Bell-Man  stuck  in 
my  throat. 

117 


Captain  Jacobus 

«'  Well,  indeed,  y'  are  a  queer  cove  of  a 
young  gentleman  as  ever  I  saw  in  the  world. 
Ye  will  not  drink,  nor,  I  dare  swear,  would  ye 
dice.  Pray,  sir,  how  do  you  live  ?  Nay, 
never  look  black.  Take  no  note  of  an  old 
woman's  quirks,  but  sit  ye  down,  and  tell  me, 
an  ye  will,  how  go  matters." 

In  a  few  words  I  related  the  night's  adven- 
tures so  far  as  I  knew  them.  Mrs.  Cutpurse 
heard  me  with  infinite  glee. 

"  Mr.  Armorer  will '  scape  the  gallows  yet,'  " 
she  cried.  "Jacobus  is  a  clever  rogue.  He 
maketh  an  ill  enemy  ;  I  would  never  cross  him 
by  my  will.  And  why  ?  Because  I  am  honest  ? 
No,  for  I  am  not  honest, —  'tis  a  dull  commod- 
ity, honesty,  and  one  I  could  never  find  any  use 
for.  But  I  am  afraid  of  him,  Mr.  Langford ; 
and  fear  is  a  stout  bond  for  square  dealing." 

I  muttered  a  civil  word  in  reply  ;  this  trifling 
encouragement  was  enough  for  Mrs.  Cutpurse, 
who,  being  perhaps  a  little  disguised  in  liquor, 
began  a  manner  of  talk  the  like  of  which  I  had 
never  heard.  A  kind  of  poisonous  magic  dwelt 
in  her  tongue  ;  so  that  as  this  brazen  school- 
mistress of  sin  with  the  cunning  eye  held  dis- 
118 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cutpurse 

course,  life  and  the  world  as  she  conceived  of 
them  passed  before  me  like  scenes  in  a  play- 
house :  gross,  tragical,  outrageous,  and  farcical 
by  turns ;  always  blindly  base,  yet  intertwist- 
ing throughout  this  monstrous  web  of  passion, 
avarice,  and  mis-doing,  a  thread  of  natural,  hu- 
man kindliness  and  shrewd  good-humor.  I 
could  see  that  Mrs.  Moll  was  one  of  your  born 
praters ;  set  a  piece  of  listening  intelligence  in 
front  of  her,  and  she  asked  no  more ;  the  wo- 
man was  sublimely  happy,  and  would  talk  until 
her  head  was  clean  empty.  The  matter  of  her 
discourse  cannot  be  put  down  here  ;  but  it  fas- 
cinated me,  so  that  I  did  not  hear  the  latch  lift, 
and  only  a  sense  of  some  one  looking  at  me 
caused  me  to  turn  my  head,  to  catch  a  glimpse 
of  a  man  just  disappearing  out  of  the  door. 
Swift  as  he  was,  I  had  time  to  recognize  the 
burly  figure  and  white  locks  of  Mul-Sack. 

"What  is  it?"  demanded  Mrs.  Cutpurse, 
whose  back  was  towards  the  door,  turning 
quickly  as  she  spoke. 

"  'T  is  nothing,"  I  said.  "  I  but  fancied  I 
heard  the  door  open,"  for  the  stealthy  de- 
meanor of  the  King  of  the  Beggars  aroused  my 
suspicions.  119 


Captain  Jacobus 

"I  heard  nothing,"  Mary  said.  "What 
could  it  have  been  ?  "  and  rising,  she  went  to 
the  door,  opened  it,  put  her  head  into  the 
passage,  then  closed  it  again,  returned  to  the 
hearth,  and  stood  looking  keenly  down  at  me. 

"There  is  no  one  there,"  said  she.  "Per- 
haps your  fancy  plays  you  tricks  at  times,  Mr. 
Langford  ? " 

"Why  often,"  I  replied,  sleepily,  and 
yawned.  At  this  moment  a  distant  rumble  of 
wheels  broke  upon  our  ears,  grew  rapidly  louder, 
and  was  presently  mingled  with  a  clatter  of 
galloping  hoofs.  "The  Captain  at  last,"  cried 
Mrs.  Cutpurse,  and  ran  down  the  stairs,  where 
I  could  hear  her  unbarring  the  door.  The 
sounds  ceased  abruptly,  a  hasty  foot  pounded  on 
the  stair,  and  the  Captain,  red  with  hurry,  burst 
into  the  room,  a  bulky  sack  upon  his  shoulder. 

"  The  Bell-Man, ' '  he  cried,  dumping  his 
burden  on  the  table.  "  Quick,  man,  out  with 
him,  neck  and  heels.  The  Watch  are  upon  us 
hot-foot." 

Snatching  a  candle,  I  flung  open  the  door  of 
the  inner  room,  while  the  Captain  tore  off  the 
blue  camlet  cloak.  The  Bell-Man  was  still 

120 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cutpurse 

slugging  in  a  dog-sleep,  just  as  we  had  left  him. 
I  took  his  shoulders,  Jacobus  took  his  heels,  and 
we  bundled  him  down  stairs,  hove  him  into  the 
cart,  and  flung  his  cloak  upon  him  in  a  breath- 
less hurry.  Mrs.  Moll,  who  had  been  standing 
at  the  mule's  head,  whipped  into  the  house,  and 
as  the  Captain  dealt  the  beast  a  sounding  kick 
which  started  it  at  a  gallop,  I  heard  the  door 
slam  and  the  clank  of  iron  bars  falling  into  their 
sockets. 

We  turned  to  find  ourselves  locked  out.  At 
the  bottom  of  the  street  a  clump  of  lanterns  and 
glinting  weapons  was  advancing  at  a  round  pace. 
There  was  small  time  for  consideration ;  in 
three  minutes,  or  less,  a  dozen  of  the  Watch 
armed  with  six-foot  bills  would  be  upon  us. 

"  Bilked,  are  we  !  "  cried  Jacobus,  with  an 
oath.  "  Round  to  the  back  !  " 

"  Did  you  know  that  Mul-Sack  was  in  the 
house,"  I  asked  him,  as  we  ran. 

"Who?"  exclaimed  the  Captain. 

"Mul-Sack.     I  saw  him." 

We  gained  the  dark  archway  leading  to  the 
network  of  alleys  that  gave  upon  the  back  door 
of  the  bagnio.  Peering  out,  we  had  the  pleas- 

121 


Captain  Jacobus 

ure  of  beholding  the  whole  body  of  Watchmen 
till  past  the  end  of  the  street,  and  heard  them 
clamping  into  the  distance. 

"That's  serious,"  said  Jacobus.  "I  can 
check  and  bridle  the  man,  or  his  villanous  wife. 
But  the  two  together  —  no,  I  don't  like  it, 
Anthony." 

"His  wife?" 

"Ay,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cutpurse,  or  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mul-Sack,  which  you  will,  and  plenty  of 
choice  beside.  But  now  to  try  the  other  door. 
There  's  a  thousand  pounds'  worth  of  spoils  in 
their  clutches,  and  I  doubt  me  of  treasons  and 
stratagems." 

Upon  trying  the  latch,  we  found  it  fast.  A 
casement  clinked  open  above  our  heads,  and, 
looking  up,  the  Captain  had  but  just  time  to 
clutch  my  arm  and  step  swiftly  aside,  before  a 
bucketful  of  scalding  water  descended  upon  the 
spot  where  we  had  been  standing.  With  an 
oath,  Jacobus  drew  a  pistol  and  snapped  it ;  and 
although  the  spark  fell  upon  damp  powder,  the 
window  shut  sharply. 

"  We  will  get  in,  by  God,"  whispered  Jaco- 
bus, as  he  reprimed  his  weapons.  «  Fire  at 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cutpurse 

the  lock  with  both  your  pistols,  then  charge  the 
door." 

I  looked  hastily  to  my  priming,  then,  stand- 
ing close  against  the  door,  presented  my  weapons. 
Jacobus  did  the  same  with  one  of  his,  holding 
the  other  in  reserve.  He  gave  the  word  ;  there 
was  a  flash  and  shattering  explosion  ;  the  door 
went  down  before  our  united  weight,  and  we 
were  inside.  At  the  same  moment  a  dark 
figure  appeared  upon  the  stairhead  above.  Jaco- 
bus fired  on  the  instant,  and  the  man  tumbled 
forward  with  a  scream,  his  pistol  exploding  in 
his  hand.  As  we  dashed  up  the  stair,  the  door 
of  Mrs.  Cutpurse' s  room  shut  to,  and  we  heard 
the  bolts  click. 

"Down  with  it,"  cried  Jacobus. 

I  ran  at  the  door,  which  burst  inwards,  trip- 
ping over  the  fallen  man  in  my^  hurry,  so  that  I 
tumbled  headlong  into  the  room  amid  a  ruin  of 
woodwork.  Jacobus  trampled  right  over  me, 
and  I  picked  myself  up  to  find  him  strenuously 
engaged  with  Mrs.  Moll,  who  was  wielding  a 
long  rapier  with  the  utmost  fury  and  a  great  deal 
of  dexterity. 

"Disarm  her  with  a  cloak,"  cried  Jacobus. 
123 


Captain  Jacobus 

Flinging  my  mantle  across  the  blades,  I  pinioned 
the  lady  from  behind ;  and  it  was  all  I  could  do 
to  restrain  her  passionate  struggles  without  maim- 
ing her.  But  Jacobus  slipped  off  his  belt,  and 
we  tied  her  wrists  with  a  garter,  and  buckled  her 
into  a  chair,  where  she  began  to  vociferate  curses 
with  diabolical  fluency.  Victory  was  ours,  but 
there  was  scant  leisure  for  contemplation.  The 
other  inmates  of  the  house  would  raise  a  hue-and- 
cry  in  another  moment ;  already  we  heard  a 
bustle  and  the  noise  of  opening  doors  above 
stairs.  The  Captain  caught  up  his  sack  from 
the  table  and  ran  out  of  the  house ;  and,  seeing  a 
stout  leathern  valise  beside  it,  upon  a  sudden 
impulse  I  tucked  it  under  my  arm  and  followed. 
Mul-Sack  lay  where  he  had  fallen,  and  the  stairs 
were  slippery  with  his  blood. 

"  The  black,  arrant,  filthy  scoundrels  !  "  said 
the  Captain,  as  we  twisted  and  turned  through 
by-ways.      "  They  would  'a  robbed  his  Majesty' 
of  my  hardly-earned  gains  without  so  much  as  a 
God-a-mercy.     What  have  you  there,  boy  ?  " 
"I  don't  know  —  'tis  cursedly  neavy." 
"  Well,  we  must  lug  our  burdens  yet  awhile. 
God  send  we  meet  not  the  rascals  of  the  Watch." 
124 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cutpurse 

So  sewn  as  the  Captain  judged  us  out  of  danger 
of  pursuit,  we  slackened  pace  to  a  brisk  walk, 
setting  our  course  to  arrive  at  the  back  premises 
of  the  Globe  Tavern.  I  told  Jacobus  of  my 
adventure. 

"Well,  I  would  not  tell  that  story  too  often," 
said  he.  "  You  might  not  always  receive 
credence.  Truth  is  a  fantastical  divinity.  But 
y'  are  an  admirable  scarefire  !  The  street  cleared 
in  a  twinkling,  just  as  I  reached  the  benediction. 
I  could  see  Nick's  face  plain  behind  the  bars  of 
a  window  ten  or  twelve  feet  up,  cheek  by  jowl 
with  a  scab  of  jailer." 

"  *  In  case  the  prisoner  hath  any  doubts  on 
his  sinful  soul,  of  which  I  may  resolve  him,'  I 
cried,  '  I  will  come  within  convenient  earshot ;  ' 
and  with  that  drove  the  pulpit  right  under  the 
call. 

"Quick  as  lightning  Nick  stretched  his 
hands  through  the  bars,  manacled  as  they  were, 
as  low  as  he  could  reach,  and  standing  on  rip- 
toe  I  gave  him  a  naked  girdle-knife.  Listen- 
ing, I  heard  certain  graveyard  sounds  within  ; 
and  forth  looks  Nick  again. 

"  '  I  've  killed  him,'  says  he. 
125 


Captain  Jacobus 

"  « Where  are  the  Flanders  despatches  ? '  I 
asked. 

"  '  Gone  to  the  four  winds,'  he  answered. 

"Whereupon  I  gave  him  pistols  and  a  file 
and  sundry  articles,  and  left  him  with  my  bless- 
ing to  work  his  way  out  of  the  Checquers  as  best 
he  might,  and  drove  softly  away  to  Paul's 
Churchyard.  I  spare  your  feelings,  my  young 
friend,  I  will  not  tell  you  what  I  did  under  the 
shadow  of  Paul's.  The  business  ('t  was  King's 
business)  I  carried  thorough-stitch  without  a  let, 
until  the  Watch  came  loitering  round  the  corner 
of  Paternoster  Row  just  as  the  Bell-Man  was  fill- 
ing his  pulpit.  There  would  have  been  no  cause 
to  alarm  had  not  that  devil  of  a  mule  refused  to 
budge.  For  all  I  could  do  he  stood  immovable 
as  a  statue,  till  I  drew  sword  and  goaded  him 
like  an  ox  ;  and  then  he  shot  off  like  a  culverin, 
and  near  tore  the  heart  out  of  me  with  pulling. 
I  thought  we  should  have  gone  to  hei.  without  a 
stop  ;  but  the  fiend  halted  himself  of  his  own 
accord  at  Mrs.  Moll's.  I  suppose  the  drouthy 
Bell- Man  had  taught  him  the  habit.  And,  after 
all,  lifelekins  !  we  were  woundy  near  losing  the 
whole  pack.  I  would  I  had  known  King  Mul- 
126 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cutpurse 

Sack  was  on  the  night  sneak.  Well,  set  the 
scars  against  the  booty  and  cry  quits,"  concluded 
Jacobus. 

"  And  is  he,  then,  Mrs.  Moll's  husband  ?  " 
I  asked. 

"Ay,"  returned  the  Captain.  "They 
were  married  over  the  broom.  I  was  at  the 
wedding,  and  gave  the  bride  away,  while  the 
Patrico  joined  their  hands  across  a  headless 
fowl,  and  the  groomsman  poured  a  gage  of 
nun-booze  over  the  bridegroom's  head.  And 
this  evening  the  pair  would  have  robbed  and 
murdered  me  !  Save  a  thief  from  the  gallows 
and  he'll  cut  your  throat,  Anthony,"  quoted 
Jacobus,  irrelevantly. 

By  this  time  we  had  reached  the  gates  of 
the  Globe  stable-yard  ;  as  we  had  settled  the 
score  over-night,  we  had  nothing  to  do  but  to 
rouse  the  ostler  and  get  our  nags  saddled.  In 
a  few  moments  we  found  ourselves  once  more 
horsed  and  on  the  road,  with  the  plunder  gained 
by  the  night's  adventures  securely  strapped 
upon  the  crupper.  We  were  to  proceed 
straightway,  said  the  Captain,  to  the  Earl  of 
Rochester,  who  had  his  lodging  very  private 
127 


Captain  Jacobus 

near  Whitehall.  As  we  paced  slowly  and 
cautiously  along  back  streets,  I  turned  to  reflec- 
tion upon  the  events  of  that  turbulent  night ; 
the  remembrance  of  old  Mul-Sack  prone  upon 
his  face  stuck  mightily  in  my  head ;  and  like  a 
sword-prick  out  of  the  dark,  it  flashed  upon  me 
that  yet  a  third  time  I  had  been  art  and  part  in 
an  outrageous  robbery.  And  again,  I  could 
not, for  the  life  of  me  see  how  I  could  have 
done  other  than  I  did.  There  seemed  a 
perverse  fate  in  it ;  and  I  resolved  to  clear  my 
mind  of  incipient  repentance,  and  transferred,  in 
my  accompt  with  Heaven,  the  sin  to  the  close- 
written  debit  of  Cromwell. 

Moreover,  I  had  come  to  sojourn  in  places, 
and  to  taste  of  experiences,  extremely  foreign 
to  the  principles  of  my  father's  son.  I  had 
made  acquaintance  with  the  reverse  of  the  coin, 
—  the  other  side  of  the  image  God  has  stamped 
upon  the  mixed  metal  of  humanity,  —  and  ob- 
served, with  some  surprise,  and  some  reserva- 
tions, the  stirring  within  me  of  new  and  catholic 
sympathies. 


128 


IX 

I   BECOME   KING'S   MESSENGER 

IT  must  have  been  near  three  of  the  clock 
in  the  morning  when  we  drew  rein  at  the 
door  of  a  mansion  that  stood  midway  down  a 
narrow  street  giving  upon  the  river,  as  I  could 
discern  by  the  tremulous  reflections  of  the  stars 
upon  a  moving  gray  bank  between  the  black 
cliffs  of  building.  Dismounting,  we  secured 
our  horses  to  the  wrought  iron- work  that  supported 
the  extinguisher-cap  for  links.  The  Captain 
knocked  upon  the  panel,  at  first  softly,  then 
with  more  insistence.  A  window  opened  over- 
head, and  stepping  back,  we  perceived  the  head 
and  shoulders  of  a  man  in  a  night-cap,  covering 
us  with  a  petronel. 

"  Who  be  you?"  he  demanded,  with  a 
broad  south-country  accent,  "  disturbing  decent 
folk  in  their  beds." 

9  I29 


Captain  Jacobus 

«'  Let  me  in,  George  Penderel,"  said  the 
Captain. 

"There  be  no  one  of  that  name  here,"  re- 
turned the  other,  hastily.  "  Who  be  you,  I 
arx  again  before  I  fires." 

"  You  have  met  with  a  Mr.  William  Jones, 
I  believe,  George,"  said  the  Captain.  "  Well, 
I  bear  a  message  for  him.  Open,  in  the  name 
of  Mr.  William  Jones  !  " 

I  learned  afterwards  that  this  George  Penderel 
was  a  Royalist  trooper,  one  of  those  who  were 
art  and  part  at  the  King's  escape  after  Worcester 
fight,  his  Majesty  travelling  at  that  juncture 
under  the  name  of  William  Jones.  The  Cap- 
tain's conjuration  was  singularly  effectual.  Mr. 
Penderel  retired  instantly  from  the  window; 
and  within  a  minute  we  heard  him  unbarring 
the  door.  It  was  presently  opened,  and  a 
little,  broad  man  with  a  big  nose,  a  military 
cloak  wrapped  about  his  naked  body,  appeared 
on  the  threshold,  holding  a  rushlight  above  his 
head. 

"Give  ye  good-den,  Captain,"  said  he, 
saluting. 

«« I  have  to  speak  with  his  lordship,  George," 
130 


I  become  King's  Messenger 

said  Jacobus.  "  You  had  best  announce  me, 
while  we  bring  in  the  horses." 

Saluting  once  more,  the  trooper  turned  to 
obey,  leaving  the  rushlight  on  the  floor.  By 
the  time  we  had  brought  the  horses  into  the 
square  stone  hall,  where  the  noise  of  their 
tramplings  was  enough  to  rouse  the  parish, 
Penderel  returned,  saying  that  the  Earl  would  see 
us  on  the  instant,  and,  carrying  our  booty  with 
us,  we  followed  the  retainer  up  a  broad  stair- 
case to  a  huge  shadowy  apartment  hung  with 
dark  tapestry,  which  seemed  to  suck  up  the 
light  of  the  many  candles.  The  embers  of  a 
wood-fire  flickered  in  the  chimney  by  the  side 
whereof  stood  a  great  bed  with  gold-embroidered 
hangings,  and  wherein  lay  my  Lord  of  Roches- 
ter, his  jolly,  red  face  aglow  among  the  white 
napery. 

"  What,  Jacobus,  my  night-hawk,  and  with 
a  King's  ransom  on  's  back,  as  I  live  by  bread  ! 
Naught  less  shall  indemnify  for  the  breakage 
of  my  beauty-sleep,  I  promise  ye,"  said  the 
Earl,  in  a  lazy,  drawling  fashion  of  his  own. 

"  Y*  are  too  curious  of  yourself,  my  Lord 
Wilmot,"  returned  the  Captain,  depositing  his 


Captain  Jacobus 

burden  on  the  table  before  the  fire,  and 
signing  me  to  do  the  same.  "  But  let  that 
pass,  and  suffer  me  to  present  to  you  my  very 
worthy  copesmate,  Mr.  Anthony  Langford,  of 
Langford." 

The  Earl  shook  me  heartily  by  the  hand, 
with  a  courteous  rejoinder  ;  "  Y'  are  heartily 
welcome,  gentlemen,"  quoth  he.  "'Tis 
a  poor  place  to  receive  you  in,  I  fear,  but 
the  best  a  landless  lord  and  a  man  proscribed 
may  offer  at  this  time.  Draw  to  the  fire 
—  prithee,  Jack,  put  on  another  log —  there 
is  liquor  on  the  table.  Fill  your  glass,  Mr. 
Langford  —  I  thank  you,  yes,  if  you  will  be  so 
good.  The  King,  Mr.  Langford,"  and  the 
Earl  and  I  clinked  glasses. 

"And  now  to  business,  my  lord,"  began 
Jacobus. 

"  Ay,"  returned  Rochester,  "  certainly. 
But  I  must  tell  you,  Captain  —  walking  adown 
Giltspur  Street  yesternoon,  I  met  as  pretty  a 
nymph  as  ever  I  saw  in  the  world.  She  hath 
meeting  eyebrows  and  a  sloe-black  eye  —  you 
know  the  kind  of  quean,  Jack.  I  shall  walk 
there  to-morrow,  and  the  day  after,  and  every 
132 


I  become  King's  Messenger 

day  until  I  meet  with  her  again.  Come  with 
me  in  the  morning,  my  bold  freebooter." 

"Y*  are  but  a  mad  lord,"  answered  the 
Captain.  "Do  you  take  me  for  Cheffinch?1 
A  pox  on  ye  !  Here  is  a  kingdom  set  upon 
the  hazard,  and  you  think  of  naught  but  spring- 
ing a  hen  o'  the  game.  Come  !  I  have  not 
been  hunting  and  waiting  like  a  dog  for  many 
weeks,  to  be  toying  with  your  wanton  humors. 
I  tell  you,  every  minute  I  sit  here  as  good  as 
turns  a  new  thread  upon  my  halter." 

"  That  is  because  y'  are  so  partial  to  blood 
and  wounds,  Jack,"  drawled  Rochester,  with 
unruffled  composure.  "  Stand  and  deliver,  is 
your  notion  of  entertainment ;  mine  is  another- 
guess  theory.  Body  o'  me  !  a  man  must  do 
something  to  disperse  the  vapors  in  this  hag- 
rid  city,  he  would  die  of  sheer  psalmody  else. 
Why,  the  place  reeks  of  Nonconformity ;  it 
drones  like  a  vast  conventicle.  Well,  to  busi- 
ness then,  curse  ye.  What  news  from  the 
West?" 

Whereupon  the  Captain  put  him  briefly 
into  possession  of  affairs,  telling  him,  however, 

1  A  creature  of  the  King's. 
133 


Captain  Jacobus 

no  more  of  our  adventures  than  he  was  necessi- 
tated. Meanwhile,  I  had  leisure  to  observe  his 
lordship,  who  was  a  full-faced,  handsome  man, 
with  the  look  of  a  born  amorist.  He  it  was 
(so  I  have  heard),  who  during  his  flight  with 
the  King  after  Worcester,  would  never  put  on 
any  habit  of  disguise,  saying,  "  he  should  look  so 
frightfully  in  it." 

"And  what  hast  got  in  the  bag  there?" 
inquired  the  Earl,  when  the  tale  was  ended. 
"Ye  may  rest  easy,"  he  added,  as  the  Captain 
rose,  and  going  to  the  door,  shot  the  bolt ;  "  the 
house  is  empty,  save  for  George  the  faithful." 
So  Jacobus  unloosed  the  sack,  and  displayed 
upon  the  table  a  treasure  of  gold  and  silver  plate, 
and  jewelled  gew-gaws,  enough  to  ransom  a 
city. 

"  'Sblood  ! "  quoth  the  Earl,  sitting  up  in 
bed.  "And  where  did  that  pretty  treasure 
come  from  ?  " 

The  Captain  maintained  a  discreet  silence  ; 
and,  having  turned  the  sack  bottom  up,  he  be- 
gan to  unstrap  my  valise.  I  looked  on  with  a 
keen  curiosity,  but  saying  nothing.  Throw- 
ing back  the  lid,  Jacobus  took  out,  one  by  one, 
'34 


I  become  King's  Messenger 

ten  full-stuffed  leather  bags,  and  set  them  heavily 
down  a-row.  The  figures  ^100  were  branded 
upon  each,  and,  untying  one,  he  took  out  a 
handful  of  his  yellow  namesakes.  "  A  thous- 
and pound  in  coin  of  the  realm,"  said  he.  So 
we  had  not  only  ransacked  Brother  Emanuel's 
shop  in  Paul's,  but  plundered  the  coffers  of  the 
Commonwealth  and  stripped  Mrs.  Moll  of  her 
profits  at  a  blow. 

"  Odso  !    and   where  from,    once   more  ?  " 
asked  the  delighted  Rochester. 

"  Well,  my  lord,  the  history,  in  brief,  is  as 
follows,"  answered  Jacobus,  sitting  down  and 
filling  his  glass.  "I  happened  to  have  a  small 
matter  of  family  plate  to  sell  —  the  gear,  in  fact, 
you  see  before  you.  'T  is  the  old  story  ;  what 
cavalier  but  has  flung  his  plate-chest,  spoons, 
and  tankards  into  the  deeps  of  Neptune  after 
the  rest  of  his  goods  for  the  love  of  his  Gracious 
Majesty  ?  But  no  more  of  that.  Therefore, 
I  say,  I  sought  out  a  gripe  of  my  acquaintance 
and  bade  him  give  me  the  price  in  gold.  This 
he  agreed  to  do,  but  as  it  came  about  the 
villain  sought  to  play  booty  —  and  failed. 
Whereupon  I  took  a  hand  —  and  succeeded." 
»35 


Captain  Jacobus 

Jacobus  lay  back  in  his  chair,  pressing  the 
tips  of  his  stretched  fingers  lightly  together,  and 
gravely  regarded  the  Earl.  Their  eyes  met. 
Both  men  smiled. 

"I  make  you  my  compliments,  Jack,"  said 
Rochester.      "  Y'  are  as  arrant  a  thief  and  as 
bold  a  liar  as  any  in  the  three  kingdoms.     'Oons,  ( 
but  we  will  dine  to-morrow,  Jack.     I  know  an 
ordinary  — ' ' 

"So  do  I,  my  lord,"  interrupted  the  Cap- 
tain ;  "  and  the  night  the  King  dines  in  White- 
hall you  and  I  will  drink  drunk  hand  to  fist,  an 
his  Majesty  invite  us  not,  and  unless  my  head  be 
garnishing  Temple  Bar." 

"  Y'  are  perfectly  right,  Jack,"  answered 
Rochester,  no  jot  abashed.  *«  Shall  I  give  you 
full  acquittal  for  value  received  on  behalf  of  my 
Lord  Treasurer,  who  is  at  this  time  taking  the  air 
of  the  Low  Countries  for  the  good  of  his  health  ? ' ' 

"So,  please  you,  before  we  part,"  returned 
Jacobus,  gravely.  "  And,  now,  who  is  to 
carry  mails  to  the  King,  my  lord  ?  The  matter 
is  urgent." 

"Whomsoever  you  please,  Captain,"  re- 
plied the  easy  Earl. 

136 


I  become  King's  Messenger 

"  Mr.  Langford,  will  you?"  said  Jacobus.  So 
it  was  settled  ;  and  I  doubt  not  that  the  Captain 
had  this  errand  in  his  eye  for  me  from  the  first. 

"The  Silver  Spray  sails  from  New  Key 
to  Flushing  with  the  morning  tide,"  said 
Rochester.  «« The  master,  Captain  Powel 
Revel,  who  is  a  trusty  rascal,  was  with  me 
yesterday." 

"That  will  do  excellent  well,"  said  the 
Captain.  Thereupon  the  Earl,  bidding  us  to 
excuse  him,  rose  and  dressed  himself,  and  sat 
down  with  Jacobus  to  write  despatches  to  the 
King.  By  the  time  they  had  finished,  the  sun 
was  shooting  golden  shafts  through  the  crevices 
of  the  shutters,  and  we  descended  to  a  room 
beneath,  where  was  spread  an  ample  collation 
flanked  with  toasts  and  tankards,  of  which  the 
Earl  partook  full  as  heartily  as  we.  Then  I 
was  given  a  hundred  broad  pieces  for  my  pecul- 
iar expenses,  and  entrusted  with  two  hundred 
for  the  King,  and  the  mail,  which  was  enclosed 
in  silk  and  sealed.  My  instructions  were,  upon 
landing  at  Flushing  to  repair  at  once  to  the  sign 
of  the  City  of  Rouen,  where  I  should  find  Sir 
John  Mennes  and  Mr.  John  Nicholas,  who 
137 


Captain  Jacobus 

would  introduce  me  to  his  Majesty  ;  when  I 
was  to  answer  any  questions  the  King  might  be 
pleased  to  ask  me,  to  receive  his  instructions, 
particularly  as  to  the  date  of  the  Penruddock 
rising,  and  to  return  without  delay  to  the  port 
of  Lyme  Regis  in  Dorsetshire,  where  I  should 
meet  Captain  Jacobus  at  a  place  appointed. 
Taking  leave  of  the  buxom  Earl,  upon  whose 
shoulders,  methought,  the  cares  of  state  sat  ex- 
traordinary lightly,  I  set  out  on  foot,  carrying 
Mrs.  Cutpurse's  valise  and  accompanied  by  the 
Captain. 

The  streets  sparkled  in  the  sunshine,  and  a 
brisk  wind  ruffled  the  awnings  over  the  shops, 
where  the  noisy  'prentices  were  busied  setting 
forth  their  wares.  After  purchasing  a  few 
clothes  and  necessaries  —  for  I  had  ridden  all 
this  time  with  no  more  than  I  stood  in  —  we 
proceeded  by  devious  ways  to  the  New  Key 
hard  by  London  Bridge.  The  river  bubbled 
and  swirled  under  the  arches,  reaching  away 
like  a  magical  arm  into  enticing  distance  between 
clumps  of  shipping  whose  tall  masts  and  webs  of 
rigging  rose  above  the  houses.  Wherries 
manned  by  watermen  in  gay  colored  jerkins 
138 


I  become  King's  Messenger 

plied  swiftly  to  and  fro  across  the  shining  stream, 
and  my  heart  rose  blithely  to  the  adventure. 
The  Silver  Spray,  a  bluff-bowed,  two-masted 
craft,  was  moored  against  the  wharf;  the  most 
of  her  crew  were  climbing  and  clinging  aloft, 
engaged  upon  some  business  which  appeared 
to  me  extremely  perilous,  to  which  they  were 
directed  by  a  small,  stout  man  with  a  fringe  of 
black  whisker  encircling  a  face  like  a  walnut,  who 
stood  shouting  on  deck.  We  went  aboard  at 
once,  and  Jacobus,  going  up  to  the  officer, 
whispered  a  word  or  two  in  his  ear,  whereupon 
he  led  us  down  into  a  tiny  cabin.  Jacobus 
made  me  known  to  Captain  Powel  Revel,  and 
a  bargain  for  shipping  me  as  passenger  to  Flush- 
ing was  speedily  struck.  Captain  Revel  was  in 
his  Majesty's  pay,  and  although  his  ship  passed 
for  a  merchant  bottom  he  did  little  but  carry 
the  King's  servants  to  and  from  the  Low  Coun- 
tries, —  a  traffic  which  the  Parliament  winked  at, 
Thurloe  trusting  wholly  to  his  secret  service  for 
discovery  of  treason.  The  business  over,  Cap- 
tain Revel  warned  Jacobus  that  he  must  set  sail 
forthwith  to  save  the  tide,  and  we  all  three 
went  upon  deck. 

139 


Captain  Jacobus 

"Give  you  good-den,  Anthony,"  said  Cap- 
tain Jacobus,  grasping  my  hand.  "We  meet 
again  at  Lyme."  He  turned  away,  leaped 
ashore,  and  with  a  wave  of  his  hand  vanished 
into  the  press.  The  moorings  were  cast  off, 
the  ship  swung  into  the  current  and  began  to 
travel,  the  water  rippling  under  her  fore-foot. 
I  leaned  upon  the  bulwarks,  looking  after  Jaco- 
bus, oppressed  with  a  sudden  sense  of  loss. 
Labor  and  peril  shared  forge  stronger  ties  than 
those  of  kindred,  and  although  I  had  known  the 
Captain  for  less  than  a  week  I  was  parting  from 
a  friend,  —  a  friend,  moreover,  whose  life  was 
forfeit  on  a  hundred  counts,  for  whom  a  very 
trifling  misadventure  meant  the  rope  and  the 
triple  tree,  so  that  the  chance  of  seeing  him  once 
more  appeared  pitifully  slender. 

But  my  dolorous  meditations  were  speedily 
interrupted.  Scarce  was  the  ship  fairly  under 
way  ere  there  arose  a  shouting  and  a  bustling  on 
the  wharf,  and  a  skiff  manned  by  a  couple  of 
water-men,  and  carrying  two  passengers,  a  man 
and  a  woman,  put  off  after  us  in  a  mighty  hurry. 
Captain  Revel  thereupon  lay  to,  and  the  skiff 
drawing  rapidly  alongside,  the  strangers  were 
140 


I  become  King's  Messenger 

haled  aboard.  Both  were  masked  and  muffled 
in  cloaks.  The  man,  stepping  forward,  caught 
the  wrathful  Captain  by  the  arm  and  spoke 
privily  to  him.  It  was  none  of  my  business, 
and  I  walked  forward  to  be  out  of  earshot ;  and 
presently  the  three  disappeared  below.  When 
the  Captain  returned  alone  upon  deck,  he 
vouchsafed  me  no  explanation,  nor,  although  I 
was  curious  in  the  matter,  did  I  question  him, 
reflecting  that  I  was  certain  to  meet  the  un- 
known at  the  next  repast.  But  when  dinner- 
time came  the  Captain,  his  mate,  and  myself 
were  the  only  persons  assembled  in  the  poop 
cabin.  Scarce  a  word  was  uttered  during  the 
collation  —  indeed,  Captain  Revel  was  one  of 
the  silentest  men  I  have  ever  known.  He 
manifested  a  positive  distaste  for  conversation. 
There  was  a  tincture  of  barbarism,  too,  in  the 
tarpaulin  way  of  living  and  being.  More  than 
once  I  observed  the  Captain  to  clean  his  knife 
upon  the  hair  of  his  mate,  who  sat  beside 
him, — an  outrage  of  which  the  man  took  no 
sort  of  notice,  while  it  put  me  in  a  fever  lest 
the  Captain,  in  a  moment  of  forgetfulness,  should 
raise  his  whittle  upon  his  passenger.  I  was  glad 
141 


Captain  Jacobus 

to  find  myself  once  more  upon  deck,  where  I 
took  great  delight  in  the  quiet,  bird-like  motion 
of  the  ship,  and  the  continual  alluring  change  of 
the  landscape  on  either  strand.  A  shipman's 
life  was  a  brave  business  indeed,  methought. 
Soon  the  sun  and  the  wind  and  the  talking 
water  wrought  a  drowsiness  upon  me.  I  be- 
thought me  that  I  had  a  night's  rest  to  make  up, 
and,  settling  myself  against  a  coil  of  rope,  fell 
speedily  dead  asleep. 

Before  I  awoke  I  was  aware  of  a  horrible 
queasy  sensation  in  my  inner  parts,  and  opened 
my  eyes  upon  a  darkening  steel-blue  sky,  pricked 
here  and  there  with  a  star.  The  ship  was 
heaving  and  rolling  under  me,  and  a  cold  wind 
searched  my  very  marrow.  Sitting  up  with  a 
deadly  shudder,  my  eyes  encountered  the  fierce 
gaze  of  a  little  gentleman  reclining  miserably 
against  the  bulwarks  a  few  feet  from  me.  His 
face,  in  spite  of  its  green  pallor,  I  seemed  to 
recollect,  as  in  a  dream ;  and  when  he  spoke  it 
came  back  to  me. 

"  Ay,  Master  Scarefire,  would  you  follow 
me  ?  "  he  said,  in  weak  angry  accents.  "  So 
soon  as  we  land,  I  challenge  you  to  fight  me, 
sir." 

142 


I  become  King's  Messenger 

I  would  have  laughed,  but  I  was  far  past 
mirth ;  for  here  was  my  eloping  gallant  from 
Giltspur  Street  again. 

"Put  an  end  to  me  now,"  I  said.  "Run 
me  through  and  I  will  thank  you." 

My  gentleman  groaned  and  swore.  "  I  can- 
not lift  a  hand,"  he  said,  and  turned  over  on 
his  face. 

Thereafter  followed  a  night  of  horror ;  and 
it  was  not  until  noon  next  day  that  we  began  to 
get  the  better  of  our  disorder.  By  that  time  we 
had  come  in  sight  of  land  ;  a  long  ridge  of  yel- 
low sand-bank,  beyond  a  plain  of  dancing  sea, 
shot  with  flying  colors,  and  dashed  with  foam, 
against  a  sky  of  pearl.  We  had  both  eaten 
something,  and  drank  a  toss  of  aqua  vitae,  and 
had  come  again  upon  deck.  It  seemed  a  sense- 
less  thing  to  quarrel ;  and  at  the  risk  of  a  serious 
tumble  I  crossed  to  where  my  angry  gallant 
leaned  sulking  over  the  weather  tafrrail,  and  laid 
a  hand  upon  his  shoulder. 

"Come,"  I  said.  "I  am  sorry  I  struck 
you  t'  other  night.  Are  you  for  Caesar  ?  I 
can  see  that  you  are.  Well,  I  was  employed 
on  King's  business,  although  I  own  it  did  not 
look  like  it.  Will  you  shake  hands  ?  " 
H3 


Captain  Jacobus 

The  boy  looked  at  me  a  moment,  then  held 
out  his  hand. 

"Sir,"  said  he,  "I  accept  your  apology. 
We  will  say  no  more." 

"And  how  is  the  young  lady?"  I  inquired. 
"  I  trust  she  is  not  greatly  indisposed." 

"But  she  is,  she  is,"  he  said  very  ruefully. 
"  I  do  not  know  what  I  shall  do  with  her." 

I  consoled  the  disconsolate  lover  so  well  as  I 
might.  "  And  when  are  you  to  be  married  ? ' ' 
I  asked,  hoping  to  distract  his  thoughts  from 
anxiety. 

"  'T  is  scarce  your  business,  is  it  ?  But 
doubtless  you  mean  kindly,"  said  the  boy,  with 
his  chin  in  his  hands.  "  Perhaps  we  shall  not 
marry.  Think  of  the  risk." 

"  You  should  have  thought  on  it  before,"  1 
said,  coldly. 

He  looked  at  me  sidelong.  "  After  all,  you 
know,"  he  said  lazily,  "what  is  the  ceremony? 
A  form  of  words,  and  a  guinea  for  the  parson. 
I  have  often  thought  its  quality  over-rated." 

I  was  shocked  at  such  sentiments  from  the 
mouth  of  a  pretty,  smooth-faced  boy,  and  took 
occasion  to  read  him  a  homily  upon  the  subject. 
144 


I  become  King's  Messenger 

I  talked  for  a  good  while,  having  nothing  else  to 
do,  but  before  I  had  said  all  that  was  in  my 
mind,  my  companion  glanced  round,  and  I  saw 
a  new  expression  flit  into  his  face. 

"  It  may  relieve  your  benevolent  but  prag- 
matical conscience,  dear  sir,  to  know  that  we 
were  fast  married  in  Saint  Sepulchre's  Church 
yestermorn,"  said  he.  "Let  me  present  you 
to  my  wife." 

I  swallowed  my  discomfiture,  and  turned  to 
behold  —  "  the  wench  with  the  meeting  eye- 
brows and  the  sloe-black  eyes!"  The  Earl's 
words  ran  through  my  head  as  a  mighty  pretty 
figure  of  a  maiden  came  balancing  delicately  to- 
wards us.  She  greeted  me  very  kindly,  and  we 
grew  mighty  friendly.  They  told  me  much  of 
their  story  :  how  that  the  bridegroom,  Mr. 
Richard  Humphreyville  by  name,  was  a  Cava- 
lier gentleman  and  a  Roman  Catholic,  to  whom 
the  bride's  Puritan  parents  had  refused  consent 
of  marriage ;  and  how  they  determined  to  cheat 
the  Devil,  and  to  seek  their  fortune  at  the  Court 
in  exile  at  Cologne,  whither  they  were  immedi- 
ately bound.  In  return  —  with  the  unthinking 
confidence  of  youth  —  I  related  something  of 
10  145 


Captain  Jacobus 

my  own  misfortunes,  my  quarrel  with  Man- 
ning, and  the  subsequent  confiscation  of  my 
estates.  My  introduction  to  the  pair  had  been 
something  of  the  strangest ;  but  when  we  drew 
into  Flushing  Harbor,  we  parted  on  the  kindli- 
est terms  imaginable.  Should  he  discover  an 
opportunity  of  advancing  my  fortunes  at  the 
Court,  said  the  gentleman  who  the  day  before 
had  sought  my  blood,  he  would  do  all  a  man 
might  to  serve  me.  Darkly  he  hinted  at  the 
great  personages  with  whom  he  had  influential 
relations ;  and  with  the  most  cordial  salutations 
this  pleasing  and  singular  couple  went  their 
ways,  and  I  saw  them  no  more. 


146 


X 

A   KING   IN   EXILE 

BEFORE  quitting  the  harbor,  I  turned  to  see 
"the  last  of  my  sea-sorrow,"  to  filch  a 
pretty  phrase  of  Mr.  Shakespeare's.  The  Silver 
Spray  lay  moored  against  the  weed-encrusted 
timbers  of  the  rude  landing-stage,  her  red  sails 
furled,  her  ropes  and  spars  graven  upon  the 
bright  sky.  But  she  was  shorn  of  glamour  in 
my  regard ;  the  mystery  of  deep-sea  voyaging 
had  resolved  itself  (for  the  time)  into  experience 
so  shocking  that  I  shuddered  to  recall  it,  and  I 
bade  farewell  to  the  Silver  Spray  as  to  a  sentient 
being  whose  acquaintance  was  more  disastrous 
than  desirable. 

It  was  about  five  in  the  evening  when  I  left 
the  quays  to  discover  the  tavern  of  the  sign  of 
the  City  of  Rouen.  The  low  sun  shone  full  in 
my  eyes,  so  that  I  discerned  the  ornamented, 
step-gabled  buildings,  and  the  strange  figures  and 
H7 


Captain  Jacobus 

taking  costumes  of  the  Dutch  people  through  a 
kind  of  magical  splendor;  the  new,  foreign 
taste  of  the  air  struck  mighty  agreeably  upon  my 
senses,  and  I  walked  along  in  a  pleasant  dream. 
The  Earl  of  Rochester  had  directed  me  precisely 
to  the  inn,  and  I  presently  came  upon  it  in  a 
square  market-place,  planted  with  trees  and  gay 
with  the  awnings  of  the  hucksters'  booths.  The 
City  of  Rouen  was  a  tall  building  of  carven 
stone,  with  a  projecting  porch  upheld  by  cary- 
atid demons,  very  fantastically  wrought ;  over 
the  portal  was  a  stone  cartouch  bearing  the 
cognizance  cut  in  basso-rilievo,  the  towers  and 
ramparts  of  an  ancient  Gothic  city  as  if  beheld 
from  above,  the  lines  all  awry  according  to  the 
manner  of  old  pictures.  Two  or  three  rosy, 
buxom  nymphs,  very  bravely  apparelled  in  black 
velvet  bodices  embroidered  with  gold  and  silver, 
gay  flowered  shirts,  and  winged  white  caps  set 
with  bright  coins,  were  chattering  and  laughing 
about  the  entrance.  One  stepped  forward  with 
a  courtesy,  and  addressed  me  in  the  Dutch  lan- 
guage, to  which  I  replied  in  English,  desiring  to 
be  taken  to  Sir  John  Mennes  and  Mr.  Nicholas. 
My  damsel  caught  at  the  names,  and  led  me  up 
148 


A  King  in  Exile 

a  wide  stone  stair  to  an  upper  room,  where  I 
found  the  gentlemen  at  dinner.  They  rose  to 
greet  me  as  I  entered ;  and  when  salutations  had 
passed,  invited  me  to  join  them. 

Sir  John  was  a  trim-built,  blue-eyed  man  of 
thirty-five  or  so,  with  a  yellow  mustache  and 
hair  thinning  somewhat  on  the  top  ;  Mr.  Nicho- 
las, son  to  the  King's  secretary,  was  a  tall, 
grave,  clean-shaven  young  man  of  an  austere 
demeanor. 

"  We  are  mightily  glad  to  see  you,  Mr. 
Langford,"  said  Sir  John.  "And  you  bring  us 
good  news,  I  doubt  not." 

"So  far  as  it  goes,"  I  answered,  "for  the 
pinch  is  yet  to  come ; ' '  and  I  told  them  the 
posture  of  affairs. 

"Why  the  devil,"  broke  out  Sir  John,  "is 
Oliver  not  pistolled  long  since  ?  For  the  life  o' 
me,  I  cannot  understand  it.  Here  is  a  scurvy 
militia-captain  grinding  the  whole  country  under 
his  heel,  all  the  people  hating  him  like  witch- 
craft,—  Royalists,  Anabaptists,  Fifth  Monarchy 
men,  Republicans,  and  Catholics,  all  his  sworn 
enemies, —  yet  not  a  man  of  them  can  come  at 
him  ! " 

149 


Captain  Jacobus. 

"  His  time  is  not  yet  come,  as  he  might  say 
himself,"  quoth  Nicholas. 

"Another  thing,"  cried  Sir  John,  with  a 
scowling  vehemence,  his  head  upon  one  side, 
which  I  found  to  be  his  habit,  "  why  is  the 
King  so  backward  in  the  plots  for  his  own 
restoration  ?  You  would  say  he  did  not  care, 
almost.  There 's  not  a  man  about  the  Court 
that  is  n't  neck-deep  and  fever-hot  in  cabal- 
lings  and  red  conspiracies  —  except  the  King  ! 
Then  one  party  out-plots  another  party,  and 
so  they  come  to  blows,  and,  six  days  out  of 
seven,  the  whole  place  is  by  the  ears.  Of 
course,  it  must  be  so,  unless  his  Majesty  takes 
hold.  And  why  does  he  not?  This  business 
of  Penruddock's  is  the  first  he  has  stirred  in ; 
and  that  only  as  an  excuse  to  get  away  from 
Cologne  for  awhile,  I  do  verily  believe,"  con- 
cluded Sir  John,  with  a  salvo  of  oaths. 

"  'T  is  a  better  politician  than  us  all,  never 
doubt  that,  Sir  John,"  said  Nicholas. 

"  Well,  it  seems  mighty  odd  to  me,"  re- 
turned the  other. 

Whereupon,  over  the  wine,  we  plunged  into 
a  lengthy  argument,  which,  like  all  such  dis- 
150 


A  King  in  Exile 

putations,  led  nowhither,  and  left  us  a  trifle 
heated  and  self-important.  As  for  me,  when  I 
went  to  bed  that  night,  rejoicing  in  down  pil- 
lows and  fine  lavender-scented  linen,  I  was  in 
some  conceit  with  myself.  I  felt  that  I  was 
playing  no  small  part  in  the  world,  moving 
amid  great  destinies.  I  was  a  person  to  be 
reckoned  with,  a  man  of  momentous  experience, 
strangely  removed  from  the  unsophisticated  boy 
who  used  to  ride  to  and  fro  from  Langford  to 
Salisbury  a  long  time  ago.  Then  the  remem- 
brance, never  lulled  for  long,  of  one  sitting 
desolate  in  that  city  awoke  within  me,  and  my 
savory  imaginings  turned  bitter  as  ashes  in  my 
mouth. 

By  sunrise  the  next  morning  I  was  riding  out 
of  Flushing,  my  valise  strapped  upon  the  crup- 
per. Sir  John  Mennes  rode  with  me.  Mr. 
Nicholas,  who  stayed  at  the  City  of  Rouen  to 
be  at  hand  in  case  further  tidings  should  arrive, 
lent  me  his  horse.  Our  way  lay  along  the 
dikes,  the  sea  upon  the  one  hand  and  on  the 
other  the  fair,  pied  plain  stretching  away  as  flat 
as  a  table  to  a  wind-bent  fringe  of  poplars. 
Under  the  vast  gray  hollow  of  the  sky  the 


Captain  Jacobus 

colors  of  the  fishing-boats  on  the  gray  sea,  and 
the  hues  of  the  spring  landscape,  bore  a  fresh- 
ness like  wet  paint,  very  alluring  to  the  eye, 
and  such  as  I  have  never  seen  in  England. 
About  half-way  to  Middelburgh  we  stopped  to 
drink  a  tankard  of  excellent  ale  at  a  little,  pretty 
inn,  standing  solitary  and  half-hidden  among  the 
sand-dunes,  with  a  bloom  like  a  peach  upon  its 
ancient  stonework  and  steep-tiled  roofs.  As  we 
rode  to  the  door  I  glanced  up  by  chance  and 
caught  a  glimpse  of  a  face  peering  from  an  upper 
window.  It  was  gone  in  a  twinkling,  and  be- 
fore I  could  distinguish  the  features.  I  thought 
little  of  it  at  the  time,  but  the  afterclap  brought 
the  circumstance  to  mind. 

Within  an  hour  after  quitting  the  wayside 
inn  we  were  riding  along  the  humming  quays  of 
Middelburgh.  A  carillon  from  the  Abbey  tower 
that  over-lapped  the  roofs  rose  and  fell  in  a 
silver  fountain  of  cadences ;  great  bluff  galleons 
were  lading  and  unlading  with  all  manner  of 
merchandise  ;  the  street  was  thronged  with  the 
alert  cheery  Hogan-Mogans  ;  and  methought  I 
had  never  beheld  a  town  so  clean,  thriving,  and 
sumptuous.  Stopping  presently  at  a  tall  house 
152 


A  King  in  Exile 

of  rich  appearance  Sir  John  dismounted  and, 
giving  me  his  bridle,  knocked  upon  the  door. 
He  was  admitted  by  a  serving-man  bearing  the 
Ormond  badge,  and  I  was  left  to  endure  some 
of  the  longest  minutes  of  my  existence.  For  I, 
Anthony  Langford,  was  about  to  hold  audience 
face  to  face  with  the  King  his  Majesty  :  the 
thought  seemed  to  dissolve  my  inwards  ;  my 
vision  blurred,  and  I  could  hear  my  heart 
beating. 

When  Sir  John  at  last  returned  with  the 
lackey,  who  took  the  horses,  he  must  have 
apprehended  my  distress. 

««  What,  man  !  "  he  cried.  "  Take  heart  of 
grace.  His  Majesty  is  a  very  pleasant  gentle- 
man ;  he  waits  for  you  now.  .  .  .  Y*  are  for- 
getting your  mails,  are  you  not  ?  " 

In  truth,  I  think  I  had  forgotten  my  own 
name  ;  but  so  soon  as  we  had  fairly  entered  the 
room  where  was  the  King,  my  composure  re- 
turned to  me  in  some  measure.  I  saw  a  stately 
gentleman  with  great  dark  eyes  under  black 
arching  brows,  and  a  wide,  full-lipped  mouth  ; 
his  expression  was  at  once  melancholy  and 
whimsical.  Sir  John  Mennes  presented  me  to 
153 


Captain  Jacobus 

his  Majesty,  who  greeted  me  with  a  smiling 
manner  of  easy  courtesy,  giving  me  his  hand 
to  kiss. 

"I  do  remember  your  father,  Mr.  Langford," 
said  the  King.  "  He  unhappily  lost  his  life  in 
the  King,  my  father' s,  service  —  in  the  affair 
at  Alresford,  was  it  not  ?  And  his  son,  it  seems, 
is  bent  upon  treading  that  same  perilous  path  of 
loyalty  !" 

"'Tis  the  road  to  honor,  sire,"  I  answered. 

"And  to  red  herrings  in  exile,  by  your 
leave,  Mr.  Langford  ;  to  present  pinching  and  a 
future  dark  and  problematical,"  returned  the 
King,  cheerfully.  "  Well,  sir,  to  the  business 
in  hand.  Is  all  in  readiness  for  the  date 
appointed  ? ' ' 

"  The  date  ?  What  date,  sire  ?  "  I  stammered, 
taken  aback. 

"The  eighteenth  of  April,  man.  Did  not 
my  express  reach  my  Lord  of  Rochester  ?  ' '  asked 
his  Majesty,  with  some  impatience. 

The  words  struck  upon  my  hearing  like  a  knell ; 

my  wedding-day  had  been  fixed  for  that  day  j 

and  murmuring  in  my  confusion  that  I  had  not 

heard  —  doubtless    '  t  was   all    contained  in   the 

154 


A  King  in  Exile 

mails  I  had  the  honor  to  bring  —  unstrapped  my 
valise,  set  the  bags  of  gold  upon  the  table,  and, 
kneeling,  presented  the  Earl  of  Rochester's 
despatch.  The  King  broke  the  seal  and  hastily 
perused  the  letter. 

"  Ah,  the  bowls  run  their  old  bias,  I  do 
perceive  !  Contrary  winds  —  messenger  de- 
layed—  plans  disordered,"  said  his  Majesty, 
looking  up  and  addressing  Sir  John  Mennes  and 
another  gentleman  (the  Marquis  of  Ormond,  as 
I  discovered  afterwards),  who  seemed  to  be  in 
attendance  upon  the  King. 

The  Marquis  swore  blasphemously,  and 
began  a  question  ;  but  the  King  held  up  his 
slender,  jewelled  hand,  and  continued  reading. 
His  Majesty  was  leaning  against  the  stone 
mullion  of  the  great  window,  the  casement  of 
which  stood  open  ;  beyond  his  dark  profile  rose 
a  far  prospect  of  sea,  melting  into  pearly  mist 
and  studded  with  slanting  red  sails  ;  and  a  fancy 
came  across  me,  that  Charles  II.,  loitering 
thus  upon  the  shore  of  the  dividing  main,  stood 
but  at  a  pause  in  his  destinies  ;  and  that  some 
day,  be  it  soon  or  be  it  late,  he  should  embark 
upon  a  flowing  tide,  and  carry  sail  till  the  cord- 
155 


Captain  Jacobus 

age  cracked  in  a  fair  wind  that  should  bear  him 
to  a  golden  restoration. 

"  And  so  you  have  been  riding  with  Captain 
Jacobus,  Mr.  Langford,"  said  the  King,  when 
he  had  finished  the  mail.  "  You  shall  tell  me 
of  your  adventures  over  a  bottle  before  we  part. 
Odso  !  The  King's  gentlemen  spend  merrier 
days  than  his  long-suffering  Majesty.  If  I  were 
to  take  the  road  and  wreak  a  little  private 
vengeance  on  the  Roundheads,  there  would  be  a 
pretty  hue- and-cry,  and  God's  vicegerent  would 
be  cut  off  incontinent  in  his  prime  of  man- 
hood !  .  .  .  Do  you  know  aught  of  a  certain 
Mr.  John  Manning,  Mr.  Langford  ?  "  asked  his 
Majesty,  suddenly,  to  my  surprise. 

"•I  know  him  well,  sire,"  I  answered. 

"  And  where  is  he  now  ?  "  asked  the  King, 
looking  at  me. 

I  replied  that  I  knew  naught  of  his  move- 
ments, save  that  he  had  left  Salisbury  some 
weeks  since. 

"Why  did  he  leave  ?"   asked  the  King. 

I  hesitated.  "Well,  the  truth  of  it  is,  we 
had  a  little  disagreement,  sire,"  I  said. 

"About  what?"  persisted  his  Majesty, 
curiously.  156 


A  King  in  Exile 

"A  piece  of  a  lawsuit,"  said  I. 

"A  piece  of  a  —  ?"  repeated  the  King, 
with  an  indescribable  accent.  "  Why,  very 
well,  Mr.  Langford,"  he  went  on.  "You 
must  forgive  me  this  particularity ;  for  the 
truth  of  it  is  this  Manning  has  much  to  do  with 
the  business  in  hand.  You  would  say  he  is  a 
loyal  gentleman  ? ' ' 

"I  know  of  naught  to  the  contrary,  sire," 
I  answered  ;  and  no  more  did  I ;  nor  had  I 
right  to  formulate  my  vague  suspicions. 

"The  matter,  then,  stands  thus,"  the  King 
went  on.  "  You  must  be  well  aware,  Mr. 
Langford,  that  our  exchequer,  in  these  unhappy 
times,  is  totally  empty.  In  fact,  sir,  there  is 
no  exchequer ;  and  the  privy  purse  would  be 
in  an  ill  way  had  you  not  been  so  good,  I  see, 
as  to  act  convoy  to  supplies.  Now,  my  Lord 
Wilmot  tells  me  that  our  incomparable  Jacobus 
has  placed  in  his  hands  a  large  sum  (I  cannot 
at  all  imagine  how  he  came  by  it ;  you  shall 
enlighten  me  presently,  Mr.  Langford)  ;  yet 
there  are  the  troops  of  the  north  as  well  as  those 
of  the  south  to  pay,  and  this  cannot  suffice. 
Whereupon  Mr.  Manning  obligingly  comes  to 
157 


Captain  Jacobus 

our  assistance  —  with  this  magical  prescrip- 
tion," and  the  King  took  a  folded  paper  from 
his  breast  and  handed  it  to  me.  Upon  the 
inside  of  the  paper  were  three  impressions  of  an 
antique  head  in  white  wax.  "Each  of  these 
seals,  saith  Manning,  represents  one  thousand 
broad  pieces,"  pursued  his  Majesty,  "which 
will  immediately  be  given  to  any  person  pre- 
senting the  token  at  a  certain  house  in  Salisbury, 
upon  the  condition  that  the  city  is  first  in  the 
hands  of  the  Royalists.  The  house  in  question 
—  correct  me  if  I  am  wrong,  Marquis  —  the 
house  in  question  stands  three  doors  from  the 
Poultry  Cross  in  the  market-place,  upon  the  left 
hand  looking  north.  Why,  man,  what  has 
taken  thee  ? "  demanded  my  royal  instructor, 
breaking  off. 

For  I  stood  bewildered;  the  King  had  de- 
scribed the  place  of  Mayor  Phelps's  abode.  It 
was  indeed  possible  that  Mr.  Phelps,  wealthy, 
Royalist  at  heart,  and  cognizant  of  the  projected 
rising,  had,  in  my  absence,  planned  such  a 
scheme  with  Manning ;  yet  I  could  not  think 
it  likely ;  and  it  flashed  across  me,  adding  to 
my  confusion,  that  the  sum  named  coincided 
158 


A  King  in  Exile 

with  the  amount  of  Barbara's  dowry.  But, 
again,  supposing  that  Manning  were  playing  for 
his  own  hand,  it  outwent  my  wit  to  imagine 
how  such  method  could  serve  his  end  ;  and  yet 
the  affair  smelled  of  treason. 

I  looked  up  helplessly.  The  King  was 
whistling  a  dance  tune  through  his  teeth,  with 
his  eyes  upon  my  face. 

"If  you  have  aught  in  your  mind,  Mr. 
Langford,"  said  he,  gravely,  ««  prithee  speak  it 
out.  'Tis  a  matter  that  concerns  the  State;" 
and  I  straightway  resolved  to  tell  the  whole 
truth. 

"  I  crave  your  pardon,  sire.  I  know  the 
house,  which  is  that  of  Mr.  Phelps,  Mayor  of 
the  city,  a  stanch  man  and  well  affected  to 
your  Majesty.  I  would  put  my  hand  in  the 
fire  for  Richard  Phelps,  yet  I  own  I  have  a 
doubt  upon  the  matter,  for  the  last  time  I  saw 
Mr.  Manning,  when  we  were  both  upon  a  visit 
to  the  house,  he  parted  from  Mr.  Phelps  in 
anger ;  and  soon  afterwards  he  quitted  Salis- 
bury, nor  have  I  seen  him  since  —  although,  of 
course,  he  might  have  returned  since  my  own 
departure  from  the  city." 
'59 


Captain  Jacobus 

"  And  the  quarrel  with  this  worthy  Mr. 
Phelps  of  whom  you  speak  —  was  that  upon  a 
piece  of  a — ay,  a  piece  of  a  lawsuit,  also?" 
asked  his  Majesty,  gently. 

I  felt  my  ears  grow  hot ;  but  there  was  no 
help  for  it ;  I  had  to  clear  the  hedge. 

"  The  plain  truth  of  it  is,  sire,  Mr.  Manning 
and  myself  were  both  suitors  for  the  hand  of 
Mr.  Phelps's  daughter  ;  and  she  preferred  — 
for  all  I  know  • —  the  worser  man.  Mr.  Man- 
ning, as  was  very  natural,  felt  himself  a  little 
slighted  ;  there  were  some  hasty  words  passed, 
and  that  is  the  whole  of  the  matter." 

His  Majesty  chuckled,  and  the  two  gentle- 
men laughed  outright. 

"  I  thought  we  should  arrive  at  the  lady 
before  we  had  done,"  observed  the  King.  "I 
begin  to  have  a  glimmering  of  the  case.  Mr. 
Langford,  prithee  proceed." 

"  There  is  no  more  to  say,  your  Majesty, 
save  that  soon  after  the  Parliament  confiscated 
my  estates  and  would  have  laid  me  by  the  heels, 
had  not  Captain  Jacobus  warned  me.  Then  I 
took  the  road  with  the  Captain,  listed  myself 
as  volunteer  under  Colonel  Penruddock,  and  — 
1 60 


A  King  in  Exile 

and  so  here  I  am,  your  Majesty,"  I  concluded 
lamely. 

"Ay,  ay,"  said  the  King,  kindly.  "Well, 
better  days  will  come,  man.  As  to  this  Man- 
ning—  where  is  Mr.  Manning  at  this  time, 
Sir  John?" 

"  Two  days  agone  he  came  spurring  to  the 
City  of  Rouen,"  replied  Sir  John  Mennes. 
«'  He  would  have  pulled  the  house  about  our 
ears,  because  we  would  not  tell  him  where  to 
find  your  Majesty.  He  took  it  very  much 
upon  the  huff  at  last,  and  rode  off  swearing 
hotly  that  were  your  Majesty  this  side  o'  the 
water  he  would  unearth  you  at  last.  '  His 
father's  blood  boiled  within  him,'  quoth  he, 
'  and  kept  him  from  sleep,'  to  think  on  such  a 
campaign  going  forward  without  him,"  added 
Sir  John,  dryly. 

The  King  shrugged  his  shoulders,  with  a 
whimsical  twist  of  countenance. 

"  My  friends  are  so  zealous,"  said  he. 
n  Never  monarch  had  such  friends,  I  do  verily 
believe,"  and,  taking  his  chin  in  his  hands,  his 
Majesty  appeared  to  muse. 

"Well,  gentlemen,"  said  he,  after  a  pause, 
ii  161 


Captain  Jacobus 

«  we  must  e'en  hazard  it,  and  the  event  will  be 
as  it  must.     You  will  take  this  paper  with  the 
three  seals,  Mr.  Langford,  to  Colonel  Penrud- 
dock  —  no,  stay  !  —  to  Captain  Jacobus.     }  T  is 
an  adventure  to  fit  Jacobus.      Tell  the  Captain 
what  to  do  with  it,  but  say  nothing  to  Penrud- 
dock,  nor  to   any  one.      Then,  if  the  treasure 
resolve  itself  into  a  mare's-nest,  no  one  will  be 
disappointed,  and  I  '11  warrant  Jacobus  will  not 
be  a  loser  in  the  transaction  ;  while  if  there  are 
three  thousand  pounds  to  be  gained,  Jacobus  is 
the  man   for  the  job.     Salisbury,   then,  is  the 
point  of  attack ;  you  are  to  carry  my  commands 
to  Colonel  Sir  John  Penruddock  and  Sir  Joseph 
Wagstaff  to  march  upon  Salisbury  immediately, 
and  thence  advance  on  London.     Or,  if  it  is 
better  in  their  judgment  to  make  further  inroads 
upon  the  West-country  before  approaching  Lon- 
don, let  them  do  so.     That  must  depend  upon 
Sir  Marmaduke  Darcy  and  the  North-country- 
men, of  whom  Rochester  will  doubtless  send  us 
tidings.     Now,  have  you  the  message  perfectly 
in  your  mind,  Mr.  Langford  ?  " 

"Perfecdy,  sire." 

"  You  will  then  embark  this  afternoon  upon 
162 


A  King  in  Exile 

the  Saint  Gabriel,  —  a  little  ship  belonging  to 
my  friend  Mr.  Francis  Mansel,  of  Lyme  Regis ; 
and  upon  landing  at  that  port,  ride  post  to  head- 
quarters. As  to  Captain  Jacobus  —  " 

"  I  am  to  meet  the  Captain  at  Lyme,  an  it 
please  your  Majesty." 

"  Why,  very  well,  then  there  is  a  piece  of 
business  well  concluded,"  said  the  King,  briskly, 
with  an  air  of  relief,  so  that  I  wondered,  with 
Sir  John  Mennes,  at  his  Majesty's  indifferent 
demeanor,  when  the  gain  of  a  kingdom  hung  in 
the  balance. 

His  Majesty  then  graciously  invited  Sir  John 
and  myself  to  a  collation,  and  going  before  us 
into  a  room  below-stairs  giving  on  the  garden, 
presented  us  to  his  host  and  hostess.  The 
master  of  the  house  was  a  round,  bald-headed 
Dutchman,  with  a  benign  countenance  and 
bristling,  up-brushed  mustachios ;  his  wife  was 
an  English  lady,  very  grandly  dressed  and  very 
demure,  to  whom  his  Majesty,  methought, 
paid  somewhat  marked  attention.  When  the 
cloth  was  drawn,  and  my  lady,  with  a  courtesy, 
gone  from  the  room,  we  took  our  wine  into  the 
garden,  —  a  trim  enclosure  with  red  and  yellow 
163 


Captain  Jacobus 

sanded  walks  and  fantastical  patches  of  tulips 
guarded  by  full-blown  leaden  Cupids  with 
bended  bows. 

Here  the  King  made  me  rehearse  the  tale  of 
my  adventures,  whereat  his  Majesty  was  mighty 
entertained.  So  soon  as  I  had  come  to  an  end, 
't  was  time  for  me  to  start.  As  I  knelt  to  take 
my  leave,  the  jovial  King  —  rocking  a  little  on 
his  feet,  for  the  Dutchman's  French  wine  was 
very  potent —  took  a  ribbon  from  his  doublet 
from  which  a  gold  ring  depended,  and  placed  it 
round  my  neck. 

"If  time  and  chance  decree  that  we  meet 
not  again,  although  I  hope  we  may,  Mr.  Lang- 
ford,  this  trinket  may  remind  you  of  a  merry 
meeting,"  said  the  King.  "  A  good  voyage  to 
you,  sir." 


164 


XI 

THE    FRENCH    GENTLEMAN    WITH 
RED   HAIR 

THE  gray  of  the  morning  had  turned  to  gold 
in  the  afternoon ;  and  upon  quitting  the 
King's  lodging,  accompanied  by  Sir  John  Mennes, 
I  walked  along  the  plangent  quays  between  the 
tall,  shining  houses  and  the  glittering  sea  in  a 
glory  of  sunlight,  my  head  humming  with  ex- 
citement and  the  wine.  The  Saint  Ga^rie/wns 
a  fore-and-aft  rigged  craft  with  foremast  and 
mizzen,  which  lay  by  the  wharf  at  the  King's 
disposal  in  case  of  need  ;  we  boarded  her,  and 
took  order  for  my  passage  ;  and,  the  master 
informing  us  that  we  could  not  sail  until  the 
ebb  two  hours  hence,  Sir  John  and  I  went 
ashore  again  to  pass  the  time.  My  companion, 
I  remember,  entertained  me  with  many  witty 
and  not  over-delicate  stories,  which  I  forgot  so 
soon  as  he  had  uttered  them  ;  and  it  seemed  but 
a  few  minutes  (in  my  dazed  and  happy  condi- 
16$ 


Captain  Jacobus 

tion),  before  I  was  aboard  again,  the  sails  draw- 
ing, and  Sir  John  Mennes,  perilously  near  the 
quay-edge,  waving  his  plumed  hat,  and  shouting 
ribald  farewells. 

The  vessel  slipped  smoothly  through  the 
water  before  a  soldier's  wind  ;  and  I  was  watch- 
ing the  houses  and  spires  shrinking,  until,  with 
the  setting  sun  flashing  upon  the  windows,  the 
city  looked  like  a  jewelled  toy  dropped  upon  the 
sandbank,  when  I  became  aware  that  I  was  not 
the  only  passenger  aboard.  A  tall  man  in  a 
slouched  hat,  a  good  deal  muffled  about  the  neck, 
stood  by  the  cook's  galley,  smoking  a  cigarro, 
the  scent  of  which  is  extremely  nauseating  to  an 
unstable  sailor,  and  first  drew  my  notice.  He 
was  clean-shaven,  and  tanned  as  black  as  a 
gipsy,  with  dark  eyes  and  red  hair,  —  an  odd 
combination  that  took  my  fancy.  My  gentle- 
man was  staring  at  me,  as  I  at  him  ;  and  I 
thought  it  only  civil  to  cross  the  deck  and 
salute  him. 

"  Give  you  good-den,  sir,"  I  said,  bowing  as 
well  as  I  could  for  the  ship. 

The  stranger  shook  his  head,  smiled,  re- 
moved his  hat  with  a  large  gesture,  and  said 
1 66 


The  French  Gentleman 

something  in  French,  of  which  language  I  have 
no  skill.  There  was  clearly  no  more  to  be 
done;  so  with  another  congee,  I  left  the  French- 
man  to  himself;  and  the  breeze  freshening  as 
the  sun  went  down,  sickness  came  heavily  upon 
me,  and  I  went  and  lay  down  in  my  bunk. 
All  that  night  the  pains  of  hell  gat  hold  upon 
me,  and  I  lay  on  my  back,  groaning,  helpless, 
and  in  total  darkness.  It  must  have  been  close 
on  midnight,  when  a  last  horror  came  upon  me. 
I  felt  light  cold  touches  as  of  fingers,  or  rats' 
feet,  passing  over  my  face  and  breast ;  but  I 
could  not  lift  hand  or  foot  in  my  defence  ;  and 
so  far  gone  was  I,  that  1  suffered  the  terror  with 
a  kind  of  indifference.  Presently  the  visitation 
ceased ;  and  when  morning  came,  and  I  revived 
somewhat,  I  put  it  down  to  rats,  or  a  trick  of 
imagination,  and  thought  no  more  of  it.  At 
any  rate,  if  it  was  the  Frenchman,  or  a  thief  of 
any  sort,  he  had  taken  nothing  from  my  pocket ; 
for  the  paper  with  the  three  seals,  and  the 
King's  gift  were  safe  where  I  had  placed 
them. 

All  that  day  and  night,  and  the  day  following, 
we  fled  before  a  favorable  wind ;    but  the  pitch- 
167 


Captain  Jacobus 

ing  of  that  little  cock -boat  wrought  such  sore  dis- 
ruption in  my  inwards  that  I  held  no  further 
commerce  with  the  red-haired  stranger,  and 
little  enough  with  any  one,  being  glad  to  roll 
myself  in  my  cloak,  and  snatch  a  dog-sleep  in 
the  sun,  whenever  I  felt  a  little  better ;  but  I 
contracted  a  violent  hatred  of  the  man,  for  that 
he  would  be  always  smoking  his  cursed  cigarro 
to  windward  of  me. 

Upon  the  evening  of  the  second  day,  we 
moved  alongside  the  Cobb  of  Lyme  (for  so  the 
natives  name  the  curving  harbor  wall),  and, 
taking  my  valise  in  hand,  I  set  out  directly  for 
Lyme  Regis  Church,  where  Captain  Jacobus 
had  appointed  to  meet  me.  The  blunt  gray 
building  was  plain  to  see  from  the  Cobb,  stand- 
ing above  the  stepped  roofs  of  the  houses,  where 
they  climbed  the  hill-side,  the  checkered  fields 
behind,  green  and  brown,  rising  into  the  pale 
sky.  At  first  the  solid  ground  seemed  to  heave 
beneath  my  feet  as  I  walked,  but  presently  sub- 
sided somewhat.  I  was  glad  to  be  ashore 
again,  tramping  the  solid  earth,  with  the  breeze 
from  landward  blowing  country  odors  in  my 
face.  Upon  entering  the  churchyard,  I  marked 
168 


i 


The  French  Gentleman 

the  figure  of  the  Captain  perched  on  a  great 
square  tombstone,  gazing  out  to  sea,  where  was 
a  conflagration  of  sunset  like  the  burning  of  a 
city.  His  back  was  towards  me,  and  the  smoke 
of  his  pipe  floated  in  thin  whorls  about  him. 

Treading  softly  among  the  long  grass  and  the 
graves,  I  clapped  a  hand  upon  his  shoulder. 

"  In  the  King's  name!  "  I  cried. 

Jacobus  leaped  to  his  feet  with  an  oath,  and 
attempted  instantly  to  cover  his  surprise  in 
hearty  greetings. 

"I  have  been,"  he  said  when  they  were 
done,  "  awaiting  you  in  this  accursed  graveyard 
two  days  and  a  night,  Anthony,"  and  I  thought 
he  looked  mighty  weary  about  the  eyes;  "all 
alone  among  the  dead  mariners,  till  I  began  to 
think  I  was  dead  myself  without  knowing  it. 
And  the  wind  crying  in  my  ears  the  while 
something  I  could  never  put  words  to ;  and  the 
sea  awash  below,  and  the  gulls  calling  and  fly- 
ing close,  and  looking  into  my  eyes.  .  .  .  And 
if  I  fell  asleep  in  the  sun  there  was  always  a 
stirring  and  a  rustling,  and  when  I  awoke  some- 
thing gray  and  thin  I  could  never  rightly  see 
flitting  behind  the  tombs.  And  in  the  night 
169 


Captain  Jacobus 

...  I  tell  you,  boy,  I  believe  the  drowned 
men  come  up  out  o'  the  deep  o'  nights  in 
troops.  Why  should  they  not?  Answer  me 
that.  Dead  is  not  dead  —  not  as  we  think. 
'Sblood !  Anthony,  these  buried  mariners  are 
not  dead  enough  for  me,"  said  Jacobus,  stamp- 
ing on  the  ground  so  that  his  spur  rang.  "  An- 
other night,  and  I  should  ha'  talked  with  them 
face  to  face." 

Of  all  men  in  the  world  I  should  least  have 
suspected  the  Captain  of  a  superstitious  seizure. 
He  spoke  quite  simply  and  quietly,  looking 
gravely  at  me  the  while,  although  a  certain 
terror  lay  evidently  behind  his  words,  and  a 
foolish  shiver  ran  down  my  back  as  I  listened. 

"Why  the  devil,  then,"  I  cried,  "do  you 
hold  tryst  in  graveyards  ?  Faith  !  next  time 
you  shall  sail  the  salt  seas,  and  I  will  abide 
among  the  tombs.  It  may  be  unhealthy,  but, 
body  o'  me !  'tis  the  Garden  of  Eden  compared 
with  the  belly  of  a  ship.  For  God's  sake, 
man,  come  and  dine.  I  have  had  no  food  for 
two  days  and  nights." 

"  Why,  you  look  a  trifle  gaunt  and  tallowy," 
observed  Jacobus,  with  a  sudden  return  to  his 
170 


The  French  Gentleman 

wonted  manner.  "  I  can  pick  a  bit  myself. 
Come  down  to  the  Blue  Garland." 

Arm-in-arm  we  turned  our  backs  upon  the 
bleak  shadows  of  the  windy  graveyard,  and 
marched  down  the  steep  street  in  the  shrewd 
spring  twilight  to  the  principal  inn,  where 
Jacobus,  quite  himself  again,  ordered  everything 
in  the  house  to  be  prepared  instantly.  Then  I 
recounted  all  that  had  befallen  since  we  parted. 
The  Captain  listened  with  the  most  lively 
attention,  interjecting  questions  and  caustic 
observations. 

"  Y*  have  done  very  well,  my  son,"  he  ob- 
served, when  I  had  concluded.  «« Ye  have 
made  his  Majesty  your  friend,  and,  mark  me, 
the  King  will  be  a  trump  card  presently.  We 
may  not  win  this  round,  nor  the  next ;  but 
meanwhile,  remember,  Oliver  ripens  fast  for 
hell.  As  to  your  friend  Manning,  I  like  him 
not,  Anthony.  He  is  too  sweet  and  plausible 
a  gentleman  ;  people  are  not  made  so.  Charlie 
Stuart  did  very  right  to  send  the  seals  to  me. 
To-morrow  at  sun-up,  then,  I  will  ride  to 
Colonel  Penruddock  at  Compton  Chamberlain, 
while  you  strike  out  for  the  Hampshire  contin- 
171 


Captain  Jacobus 

gent ;  both  regiments  to  muster  at  Salisbury  two 
days  hence,  on  second  April." 

"Why,  the  Chief  Justice  and  four  judges 
will  be  on  circuit  in  the  city,  now  I  bethink 
me,"  I  said. 

"So  much  the  worse  for  them,"  remarked 
Jacobus,  "and  the  better  for  us.  'Twill  show 
the  country  we  care  naught  for  rebel  adminis- 
trations. My  Lord  Protector  will  be  vastly 
pleased  when  he  hears  of  his  five  right  worship- 
ful justices  all  a-row  kicking  heels  in  hemp." 

We  were  sitting  over  our  wine  by  this  time  ; 
and  although  there  remained  no  trace  in  the 
Captain's  bearing  of  his  singular  lapse  in  the 
churchyard,  yet  there  lurked  something  of  a 
question  in  his  glance,  a  tincture  of  doubt  in  his 
manner.  I  knew  what  he  would  be  at ;  a  man 
of  his  mould  would  sooner  be  torn  in  pieces 
than  stoop  to  explain  or  to  condone  his  own 
momentary  weakness  ;  while  vanity  pricked  him 
to  discover  whether  I  thought  the  less  of  him 
for  such  an  exhibition  ;  and  I  cast  about  how 
to  ease  his  mind. 

"  You  were  speaking  of  spiritual  visitations 
but  now,"  I  began,  at  a  pause  in  the  con- 
172 


The  French  Gentleman 

versation,  and  Jacobus  looked  up  suspiciously. 
«'  Well,  I  do  not  rate  myself  a  coward,  but  I 
suffered  an  experience  on  ship-board  that  sucked 
me  out  the  very  dregs  of  courage.  I  do  not 
shame  to  say  it,  and  yet  it  was  a  very  trifling 
affair,  when  all 's  told.  I  suppose  there  is  no 
man  ever  lived  that  terror  has  not  gripped  his 
entrails,  at  one  time  or  another.  Do  you  not 
think  so  yourself,  Captain  ? ' ' 

"Why,  yes,"  said  Jacobus,  indifferently, 
"  and  what  kind  of  a  demon  laid  his  claws  upon 
you,  Anthony  ?" 

I  told  him  of  the  prying  fingers  that  touched 
me  when  I  lay  sick  and  helpless  in  my  berth  ; 
and  he  said  it  was  a  strange  thing  ;  and  there- 
upon passed  to  discussion  of  our  plan  of  action. 
But  I  noted  that  he  regarded  me  now  with  a 
restful  eye. 

It  was  arranged  that  if,  directly  upon  my 
arrival  at  Salisbury,  Penruddock's  force  held  the 
city,  I  should  proceed  to  the  house  of  Mayor 
Phelps  ;  and  that  if  Jacobus  were  not  there,  I 
should  seek  him  in  the  Beggars'  Chapel  in 
Grovely  Wood.  If  Penruddock  had  not  ar- 
rived before  me,  I  was  still  to  proceed  to 
173 


Captain  Jacobus 

Mayor  Phelps's  where,  if  I  did  not  find  the 
Captain,  I  was  to  await  him.  Jacobus  had 
brought  my  gray  gelding,  the  gift  of  pretty 
Mrs.  Beatrix,  and  stabled  him  with  his  own 
horse.  The  mention  of  the  nags  reminded 
him  that  we  should  go  and  see  how  they  did 
before  we  went  to  bed ;  and  he  hallo'  d  for  a 
lantern.  The  landlord,  a  blue-faced,  corpulous 
person,  brought  it  himself. 

"Does  this  gentleman  sleep  here,  to-night, 
sir  ? "  he  inquired  of  the  Captain. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?"  returned 
Jacobus,  sharply.  "  Did  I  not  bespeak  a  room 
for  Mr.  Langford  three  days  agone  ? ' ' 

"Mr.  Langford,"  said  the  man,  staring 
angrily  at  me.  "Which  is  Mr.  Langford, 
then  ?  Are  there  two  Mr.  Langfords  ?  Or 
have  I  been  made  a  fool  of?" 

"  Go  to,"  said  Jacobus.  "  Y'  are  drunk. 
This  is  Mr.  Langford,  sot.  What  the  devil  are 
you  talking  about  ?" 

A  ridiculous  bewilderment  crept  upon  the 
landlord's  shaggy  visage.  "Why,  then,  I 
have  been  made  a  fool,"  said  he,  helplessly. 
"And  the  nag  gone  too.  As  God's-my-life, 


The  French  Gentleman 

'twas  no  fault  of  mine,  sirs.  The  gentleman 
looked  a  gentleman,  sure  enough,  and — " 

"Just  tell  the  story,  if  you  please,"  said 
Jacobus,  sternly.  He  was  sitting  upon  the  table, 
swinging  a  leg,  according  to  his  habit.  The 
bulky  landlord  stood  quaking  before  him  like 
a  school-boy  at  fault,  the  great  horn  stable- 
lantern,  smokily  alight,  dangling  from  his  finger. 

"I  am  telling  you,  sir,"  said  the  miserable 
man.  "'Twas  just  this  way,  sirs,"  looking 
appealingly  at  me,  —  "just  this  way,  as  I  was 
saying.  Just  about  sun-down  —  ay,  scarce  a 
half-an-hour  afore  ye  come  in  yourselves,  sirs  — 
in  marches  a  great  gentleman  hot-foot.  '  Has 
a  gentleman  left  a  horse  here  for  Mr.  Langford  ? ' 
says  he.  '  Are  you  Mr.  Langford  ? '  I  asked 
of  him,  and  he  stares  at  me  fierce.  '  Of  course,' 
he  says.  '  My  service  to  you,  sir,'  I  says,  '  Mr. 
Simeon '  [the  name  the  Captain  had  adopted  for 
the  nonce]  « brought  a  led  horse  along  wi'  him, 
'tis  in  stable  now.  Belike  'tis  the  nag  your 
honor  means.'  '  What  is  the  beast  like  ? '  he 
asked.  «  A  gray  gelding,'  I  tells  him.  '  That 's 
my  horse,'  quo'  he.  «  Saddle  him  quick  's  you 
can.  Mr.  Simeon  is  awaiting  me,  is  he  not,' 
175 


Captain  Jacobus 

says  he.  '  Surely,'  I  says,  '  and  I  expect  him 
to  come  in  every  next  moment,'  says  I,  'for's 
dinner.'  'Do  you  so?'  says  he,  'well,  'tis 
a  mighty  pity  I  cannot  wait.  Present  my 
compliments  to  Mr.  Simeon,  and  belike  he  and 
I  will  meet  in  Salisbury,'  says  he,  and  by  that 
time  the  gelding  was  brought  round,  and  my 
gentleman  tosses  Tom  ostler  a  crown,  vaults 
into  saddle,  drives  spurs  in,  and  off  at  a  cruel 
hard  gallop  over  t*  cobbles." 

I  broke  into  a  laugh  as  the  man  paused  with 
dropped  jaw,  gazing  timorously  at  Jacobus,  who 
was  gnawing  his  moustachios. 

"  And  why  did  you  not  tell  me  all  this 
before,  sirrah?"  demanded  the  Captain,  so 
fiercely  that  the  man  gave  back  a  step. 

"God  forgive  me,"  he  whined,  "it  went 
clean  out  o'  my  head." 

"  What  was  the  man  like  ?  Describe  him!" 
said  Jacobus. 

"  I  marked  not  what  he  wore,"  said  the 
man,  "  but  a'  had  black  eyes  and  red  hair,  I 
will  swear  to  't." 

I  exclaimed  in  surprise,  but  the  Captain  went 
on  without  a  pause. 

176 


The  French  Gentleman 

"Look  you,  dolt,"  said  he,  "you  tell  me 
there  is  a  nag  of  mine  gone  from  your  stables  ; 
well,  then,  you  must  make  good  the  loss,  and 
that  before  to-morrow  morning.  I  have  no 
more  to  say  than  that,"  and  getting  leisurely 
from  the  table,  Jacobus  turned  his  back  to  the 
culprit,  and  spread  his  fingers  to  the  fire. 

"  Come  now,  y'  are  unreasonable,  Mr. 
Simeon,"  said  the  landlord,  sullenly.  "  'T  is 
all  as  I  have  told  you.  'T  was  no  fault  o' 
mine.  Anything  I  can  do  to  convenience  the 
gentleman  I  will,  such  as  lending  him  a  mount 
for  a  stage  or  so.  But  to  buy  another  nag  — 
and  'twixt  now  and  sun-up!  It  can't  be  done, 
sirs,  and  more,"  he  added,  encouraged  by  his 
own  words,  "I  will  not  do't.  How  do  I 
know  the  red-haired  gentleman  and  yourself  are 
not  acquaint  ? " 

I  do  not  know  whether  the  Captain,  finding 
his  will  opposed,  acted  merely  from  force  of 
habit,  forgetting  his  disguise  —  for  he  was  pos- 
ing as  Mr.  Gabriel  Simeon,  wool-stapler  —  or 
whether  his  passion  for  effect  overcame  all  other 
considerations.  However  it  was,  at  the  inn- 
keeper's last  words  he  turned  sharply  upon 
12  177 


Captain  Jacobus 

him,  lugging  out  a  pistol,  and  levelled  it  at  his 
head. 

"Take  the  door,  Anthony,"  said  Jacobus; 
and  I  crossed  the  room  and  leaned  against  the 
panel.  I  was  thus  behind  the  landlord,  so  that 
he  could  not  see  me  wrestling  with  laughter. 

"  Now  then,  Master  Nick-and-Froth,"  went 
on  the  Captain,  falling  into  his  professional 
manner,  "  I  have  no  time  to  waste,  and  (if 
you  will  believe  me)  no  more  have  you. 
Half-a-minute  is  not  a  long  time  wherein  to 
make  ready  for  death,  is  it  ?  —  especially  for  a 
man  of  your  habits.  And  yet,  sirrah,  't  is  all 
you  possess  unless  you  give  me  an  undertaking 
to  furnish  me  a  good  nag  before  sunrise.  I  will 
take  forty  broad  pieces  for  a  bond,  meanwhile. 
Come  !  I  will  count  the  seconds  for  you  :  One, 
two!  —  " 

"Sirs!  sirs  !"  cried  the  man,  "will  ye  do 
murder  ?  "  —  and  I  could  see  the  water  start 
and  glisten  on  his  temple. 

"  Seven,  eight,  nine,  ten  !      One   moment, 

Innkeeper.      Y'  are  thinking  I  would  not  dare 

to  shoot  you.       Do   not   so   deceive  yourself. 

Let  me  tell  you,  my  friend,  that  I  am  a  King's 

178 


The  French  Gentleman 

man,  while  you,  I  take  it,  are  a  bloody  Round- 
head, and  I  would  make  no  more  of  killing  you 
than  you  would  of  sticking  a  pig.  To  resume  : 
Eleven,  twelve,"  and  Jacobus  counted  up  to 
twenty-five,  cocking  his  pistol  on  the  word, 
when  the  fellow  cried  out,  with  a  high,  strang- 
ling vociferation  :  — 

"  I  will  do  it,"  he  said  ;  and  as  the  Captain 
lowered  his  weapon,  sobbed  out  a  stream  of 
curses. 

"  'T  is  like  the  letting  of  blood  —  it  relieves 
the  heart  and  veins,  and  I  make  a  rule  to  allow 
it,"  observed  Jacobus  to  me,  as  if  in  apology. 
"  Now  I  will  take  the  forty  pieces,  if  you 
please,"  said  he,  advancing  towards  the  inn- 
keeper. 

The  light  ran  coldly  down  the  pistol-barrel ; 
the  man  turned  with  an  obedient  start,  and, 
still  carrying  the  lantern,  shambled  before  us 
into  his  private  den,  where  he  counted  out  the 
money  in  a  sullen  silence. 

The  Captain  repaid  him  the  amount  of  the 
reckoning,  and,  after  seeing  that  the  Captain's 
horse  was  cared  for,  we  sat  down  to  finish  the 
bottle. 

179 


Captain  Jacobus 

"  The  scurvy  rogue,"  said  Jacobus ;  "  't  is 
amazing  how  few  persons  can  perceive  their 
manifest  obligations  save  in  the  throat  of  a 
pistol-barrel.  And  what  do  you  think  of  our 
red-haired  horse-monger,  Mr.  Langford  ?  " 

"I  think  his  name  is  Manning,"  I  said, 
rather  shamefacedly. 

"O!  do  you  so?"  cried  Jacobus.  "Y'have 
a  most  uncommon  penetration.  I  make  you 
my  compliments." 

"  You  are  to  remember,"  I  expostulated, 
"  that  the  first  time  I  saw  him  I  had  but  just 
come  from  his  Majesty's  table  ;  and  the  rest  of 
the  voyage  I  was  sick  as  a  dog." 

"  You  were  disguised  in  liquor  and  he  was 
disguised  in  a  wig,  as  it  were,"  said  the  Cap- 
tain, grinning  at  his  jest.  "Now  I  will  read 
ye  your  ghostly  riddle,  Mr.  Langford.  The 
spirit's  name  was  Manning  too  ;  and  Manning 
picked  your  pockets  to  see  if  you  had  the  three 
seals.  Manning  is  brewing  a  plot,  boy,  and 
doubtless  thinks  himself  mighty  clever  at  it. 
Well,  I  will  have  my  spoon  in  the  broth  before 
all 's  done.  And  if  you  had  but  quietly  put 
your  iron  through  the  gentleman  upon  a  certain 
1 80 


The  French  Gentleman 

occasion,  ye  had  saved  a  world  of  trouble.  For 
a  youth  of  parts,  I  sometimes  think  y'  are  a 
fool,  Anthony." 

Indeed,  I  thought  so  too.  Manning  had 
outwitted  me,  and  was  even  now  galloping 
to  Salisbury  upon  no  one  knew  what  devil's 
errand ;  and  I  believed  him  capable  of  the 
worst  crimes.  'T  was  doubtless  his  face  I  saw 
at  the  window  of  the  inn  'twixt  Flushing  and 
Middleburgh ;  he  had  tracked  me  like  a  dog, 
and,  dolt  that  I  was,  I  could  have  stabbed 
myself. 

"Let  us  start  to-night,  for  God's  sake,  Cap- 
tain," I  said  ;  but  Jacobus  would  not  hear  of  it. 

"  You  do  not  know  what  is  in  front  of  you, 
lad.  Sleep  you  must,  or  you  cannot  go  through 
with  it.  Y'  are  thinking  of  the  girl,  I  know 
very  well ;  but  content  you,  she  hath  her 
father,  hath  she  not  ?  At  any  rate,  we  could 
never  overtake  the  man.  Besides,  y'  have  no 
horse.  A  lover's  imagination  is  ever  prophe- 
sying evil  falsely.  Go.  to  bed  and  to  sleep, 
man." 

And  so  I  did  ;  for  since  we  could  not  ride, 
I  found  myself  deadly  wearied. 
181 


XII 

I  TAKE  THE  ROAD  UPON  MY  OWN 
ACCOUNT 

SURE  enough,  next  morning  the  ostler 
brought  to  the  door  a  handsome  roan 
mare,  fully  equipped.  Upon  putting  her 
through  her  paces  and  looking  her  over,  Jacobus 
and  I,  both  professed  horse-copers,  found  her 
to  all  appearance  sound ;  and  after  returning 
the  amount  of  his  bond  to  the  landlord,  we  set 
forth.  We  rode  along  the  coast  together  so  far 
as  Charmouth,  where  our  roads  parted  ;  Jacobus 
travelling  northeast  by  Sherborne  and  Frome  to 
Compton  Chamberlayn,  in  Wiltshire,  while  my 
route  lay  further  south  through  Bridport,  Dor- 
chester, Blandford,  and  Cranborne  Chase  to 
Fordingbridge,  in  Hampshire,  where  dwelt  Mr. 
William  Jenkins,  Captain  of  the  Hampshire 
contingent.  Jacobus  had  near  upon  seven 
182 


I  take  the  Road 

leagues  further  to  ride  than  I,  while  Compton 
Chamberlayn  lay  three  hours  further  from  Salis- 
bury, where  both  regiments  were  to  muster  at 
five  in  the  morning  of  April  the  second,  than 
Fordingbridge ;  but  the  Captain  reckoned  by 
means  of  incessant  riding,  frequent  change  of 
horses,  and  his  knowledge  of  the  country,  to 
accomplish  his  journey  in  the  time.  The 
allowance  of  another  day  could  have  caused  no 
jot  of  harm ;  while  (as  events  fell  out)  the 
time  gained  might  have  saved  many  a  loyal  life. 
But  the  Captain  was  never  content,  unless  he 
were  doing  just  a  little  trifle  more  than  any 
other  man  was  satisfied  in  accomplishing. 

After  I  had  parted  from  Jacobus,  the  mare 
stumbled  badly  twice  or  thrice  during  the  next 
few  miles,  but  I  thought  little  of  it,  rode  easy, 
and  stopped  at  Bridport  to  bait  her  and  to 
drink  a  tankard  of  October.  By  the  time  we 
were  well  out  on  the  Dorset  Downs,  under  the 
shoulder  of  Shipton  Beacon,  the  nag  began  to 
trip  again ;  I  dismounted,  and  examined  her 
hocks,  which  were  swollen  and  tender,  and 
which  must  have  been  bandaged  for  a  week 
before  to  have  reduced  them  to  the  normal 
183 


Captain  Jacobus 

condition  in  which  they  seemed  that  morning. 
There  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  push  on  ;  and 
on  we  went.  But  presently,  going  down  hill, 
the  mare  stumbled  again  and  fell  heavily,  pitch- 
ing me  into  the  road.  I  came  down  upon  my 
head,  which  seemed  to  explode  like  a  shell  at 
the  concussion.  I  do  not  know  how  long  I  lay 
there ;  but  when  I  sat  up  the  ground  heaved  in 
billows,  the  sky  was  dark  and  rained  stars. 
After  drinking  a  little  Hollands  from  my  flask  I 
felt  better,  though  my  head  ached  infernally, 
and  my  right  arm  was  bruised  and  swollen  from 
shoulder  to  elbow.  Coming  a  little  more  to 
myself,  a  horrible  pang  seized  me  ;  I  staggered 
to  my  feet  and  looked  round. 

There  was  no  mare  to  be  seen ;  she  was 
clean  gone,  with  forty  broad  pieces  in  the 
saddle-bags,  and  my  pistols  —  Manning's  pistols 
—  in  the  holsters.  Doubtless  that  devilish  nag 
was  far  on  the  road  to  Lyme  by  now.  Mine 
host  of  the  Blue  Garland  was  avenged.  I  was 
sick  as  a  dog,  and  every  bone  rebelled  ;  but  the 
urgency  of  my  errand  burned  within  me,  and, 
hardly  knowing  what  I  did,  I  set  my  face  to 
the  east  and  began  to  plod  forward.  My 
184 


I  take  the  Road 

mind  grew  clearer  as  I  walked,  and  I  began  to 
consider  the  situation.  A  horse  I  must  have  ; 
for,  although  'twas  barely  possible  to  tramp 
the  distance  in  the  time,  a  mistake  in  the  direc- 
tion, or  a  few  hours'  rain  (for  already  the 
roads  were  soft),  would  defeat  me,  and  I  dared 
not  risk  it.  Searching  my  pockets,  I  found  (I 
remember  accurately)  three  Jacobuses,  a  crown, 
seven  shillings,  and  a  groat.  Certainly  I  could 
not  buy  a  horse  with  those  remunerations. 

When  necessity  sets  the  grip  upon  a  man, 
'tis  wonderful  how  it  changes  his  opinion  of 
the  Ten  Commandments.  He  perceives  in  a 
wink  the  margin  of  that  absolute  document, 
close  written  with  a  great  number  of  valuable 
saving  clauses,  hitherto  unnoted.  And,  after 
trudging  valley  and  upland  for  some  three  hours, 
I  had  resolved,  like  iron,  the  first  reasonable 
good  nag  I  met  should  somehow  change  owners. 

'T  was  already  falling  dusk  on  those  desolate 
wolds  when  I  was  aware  of  a  horseman  ap- 
proaching on  a  bright  bay  stallion.  As  he  drew 
near,  I  hailed  him. 

"Give    you   good-den,   sir,"    I    said;    "I 
would  have  a  word  with  you." 
185 


Captain  Jacobus 

Seeing,  I  suppose,  that  I  had  not  the  air  of 
a  common  foot-pad,  the  man  drew  rein  —  with- 
out, however,  giving  himself  the  trouble  to 
return  my  salutation.  He  was  a  big,  sulky- 
looking  farmer  fellow,  plainly  clad  in  gray 
homespun,  with  an  uphill  nose  and  a  monstrous 
jowl  like  a  bull-dog,  and  he  carried  a  stout  holly 
stoff. 

"  Will  you  sell  me  your  horse  ? ' ' 

"I  will  not,  certainly,"  he  returned  in  surly 
accents.  "  Is  that  all  you  wanted  ?  Out  o' 
my  way  ! ' ' 

I  caught  his  bridle  with  my  left  hand. 
"Sir,"  I  said,  "I  am  about  an  errand  of  life 
and  death.  A  horse  I  must  have.  What  is 
your  price  ?" 

He  considered  a  moment.  "  Forty  broad 
pieces,  down  on  the  nail,"  said  he. 

"  Meet  me  at  the  Poultry  Cross  in  Salisbury 
the  day  after  to-morrow,  and  I  will  give  you 
sixty." 

"  Belike!"  said  the  farmer,  his  great  face 
flushing.  "And  who  are  you,  my  fine  sir, 
with  the  bloody  coxcomb  ?  " 

"  That  is  my  business,"  quoth  I. 
1 86 


I  take  the  Road 

"I  can  tell  thee,  nevertheless.  Thou  'rt  a 
mountebank  tricked  up,  or  a  ruffling  bloody 
Cavalier  "  —  and  I  saw  that  he  had  cropped  his 
locks,  which  a  Royalist  yeoman  would  not  do. 
"  Take  hand  from  my  rein,  man,  or  I  will  break 
the  rest  o'  thy  head  for  thee.  Snick  up!  " 

He  raised  his  cudgel ;  I  drew  a  dag  l  from 
my  belt,  grasping  it  by  the  barrel,  for  'twas 
unloaded.  For  a  moment  we  watched  each 
other  warily  ;  then  my  yeoman  struck  at  me,  at 
the  same  time  spurring  his  horse,  which  reared, 
for  I  held  the  bridle  fast.  With  a  quick  motion 
of  the  head  I  avoided  his  blow,  which  fell  upon 
my  left  shoulder,  that  was  defended  by  the 
leather  pauldron  of  my  buff  coat,  and  I  brought 
down  the  pistol-butt  upon  my  antagonist's  right 
wrist  with  all  the  force  I  could  muster  in  my 
maimed  arm.  The  stroke  rang  as  though  I  had 
beaten  a  billet  of  wood  to  flinders,  and  the  man 
dropped  his  cudgel  with  a  snarl  like  a  baited 
bear.  Still  holding  the  rein,  I  stooped  swiftly 
to  pick  it  up,  and  the  plunging  of  the  frightened 
nag  gave  me  enough  to  do  to  reach  it.  As  I 
rose  with  the  staff  In  my  hand,  the  farmer 
1  A  small  pistol. 
187 


Captain  Jacobus 

caught  me  a  swinging  buffet  on  the  side  of  the 
head.  I  was  near  stunned,  and  lost  control  of 
my  anger.  You  are  to  remember  that  while  the 
nag  meant  no  more  than  salable  horse-flesh  to 
the  churl,  it  meant  the  world  to  me.  I  struck 
at  the  rider's  head.  He  warded  the  blow  with 
his  left  arm ;  I  beat  it  down,  and  brought  the 
holly  with  a  goodly  thwack  upon  his  pate. 
The  big  man  swayed  sideways  and  fell  bodily 
upon  me,  bearing  me  to  the  ground.  'T  was 
all  I  could  do  to  loose  his  boots  from  the  stir- 
rups and  to  prevent  the  nag  kicking  us  both  to 
death.  So  soon  as  I  had  quieted  the  horse,  I 
bent  over  the  prostrate  yeoman  and  explored  his 
head.  The  skull  was  whole,  so  doubtless  he 
would  recover;  and,  settling  him  in  as  easy  a 
posture  as  I  could,  I  mounted  the  bay  and 
spurred  forward. 

By  this  time  the  sun  had  vanished,  and  white 
mists  crawled  in  the  valleys ;  and  presently  I 
saw  the  lights  of  Dorchester  town  twinkling 
through  the  haze.  Fearing  lest  a  hue-and-cry 
should  be  raised  before  morning,  I  avoided  the 
town  and  pushed  on  through  the  gathering  dark- 
ness. The  day's  misadventures  began  to  press 
1 88 


I  take  the  Road 

sore  upon  me  :  red-hot  hammers  beat  within 
my  head ;  my  arm  ached  to  agony  from  the 
violence  I  had  used  ;  and  I  heard  strange  sounds 
and  beheld  flitting  visions  of  strange  sights. 
Sometimes  I  would  hear  bells  chiming,  and 
methought  they  were  the  bells  of  Salisbury  and 
I  was  riding  thither  ;  then  I  would  see  Barbara 
in  a  room  alone  with  Manning  in  his  red  hair, 
and  hear  her  cry  aloud  for  help.  At  that  I 
would  start  to  my  senses,  gather  up  the  reins, 
and  stare  into  the  dark  ;  then  again  dreams  and 
stupor  would  steal  upon  me.  I  seemed  to  have 
been  riding  in  pain  and  darkness  since  the  day  I 
was  born ;  when  at  last  my  trusty  nag  ambled 
into  a  village  nestling  at  the  base  of  a  great 
hill,  and  called,  as  I  learned  in  the  morning, 
Troy  Town.  The  lighted  windows  aroused 
me,  and  I  had  sense  enough  to  steer  into  the 
stable-yard  of  the  Inn,  where  I  had  no  sooner 
dismounted,  than  I  swooned  upon  the  stones. 
The  people  of  the  house  must  have  carried  me 
within-doors  and  hapt  me  up  in  bed :  for  there 
I  was  when  I  awoke,  with  a  comely  white- 
haired  old  dame  bathing  my  temples.  She  gave 
me  something  mighty  comforting  to  drink,  and 
189 


Captain  Jacobus 

bade  me  to  sleep ;  whereupon  I  sank  straight- 
way into  a  dreamless  slumber. 

'T  was  broad  daylight  when  I  woke  again, 
feeling  stiff  and  sore  indeed,  but  well  enough 
and  mighty  hungry  —  so  potent  a  medicament 
is  youth.  When  I  appeared  downstairs  my 
hostess  cried  out  as  though  I  had  been  a  ghost,  and 
would  have  it  I  must  to  bed  again.  But  upon 
beholding  the  breakfast  I  consumed,  she  thought 
better  of  it,  and  after  bandaging  my  head  and 
arm  afresh  with  some  wonderful  decoction  of 
herbs  and  simples,  and  reiterating  a  hundred  wise 
cautions,  she  let  me  go.  My  hostess  of  Troy 
Town  tavern  was  a  kindly,  winsome  old  lady, 
in  her  clean  lilac  gown  and  great  white  cap ; 
one  of  those  whose  simple  nature  is  all  to  do 
good  to  others ;  and  who,  methinks,  in  this 
rude  world's  march,  are  too  often  shoved  aside 
and  trampled  on. 

The  nag  I  had  won  by  force  of  arms  was  a 
good  nag,  strong,  steady,  and  handsome ;  and 
in  the  saddle-bags  I  found  thirty-three  broad 
pieces,  some  loose  silver  and  copper,  three  little 
soiled  linen  bags  containing  samples  of  corn  and 
a  new  whip-lash.  My  friend  the  Roundhead 
190 


I  take  the  Road 

yeoman  must  have  prospered  in  Dorchester  mar- 
ket the  day  before.  As  for  me,  now  I  came  to 
think  of  it  by  morning  light,  I  had  committed  a 
common  highway  robbery  ;  there  was  the  plain 
fact.  Anthony  Langford  of  Langford  Manor 
was  no  better  than  a  thief  and  a  robber. 

Hitherto  I  had  regarded  my  friend  Captain 
Jacobus  with  a  moral  reservation  ;  he  was  this 
and  that,  and  't  was  excellent  well,  but  there 
was  a  flaw  in  the  crystal  of  his  honor.  Now 
I  began  to  perceive  he  entertained  precisely  that 
opinion  of  myself;  and  (it  appeared)  with  the 
better  reason,  and  the  greater  forbearance.  I 
recalled  my  heady  speech  the  day  we  halted 
above  Winchester  city,  glittering  beneath  us  in 
the  valley.  I  thought  myself  something  heroi- 
cal  at  the  time,  and  yet  I  had  but  figured  as  a 
pragmatical  whipster  blown  up  with  swelling 
conceits.  Well,  there  seemed  no  certitude  in 
morals,  and  for  the  first  time  it  began  to  dawn 
upon  my  raw  intelligence  that  life  is  not  a  rou- 
tine to  be  smoothly  undertaken  by  the  aid  of 
maxims,  as  your  cook  by  recipe  makes  kick- 
shaws and  pigeon-pasty,  but  a  delicate,  chancy 
business  requiring  an  alert  habit  of  diplomacy. 
191 


Captain  Jacobus 

My  luck  was  surely  out  for  the  time ;  for  a 
thick  rain  and  mist  driving  before  an  east  wind 
soaked  me  to  the  skin ;  there  was  no  sun  to 
steer  by  ;  and  the  road,  at  best  a  mere  cart-rut, 
perplexed  me  continually  by  its  divergences. 
So  it  was  that  after  riding  endlong  over  hill  and 
heath  all  day,  I  came  at  dusk  upon  a  desolate 
table-land  where  the  wind  blew  salt,  and  the 
fog,  rolling  clear,  unveiled  a  great  plain  of 
waters  beyond  the  trending  coast-line  some  two 
miles  distant.  Nearer  hand,  beside  the  sullen 
gleam  of  a  river,  the  wet  roofs  of  a  town  shone 
in  the  fading  light.  I  had  travelled  in  a  circle 
and  come  to  the  sea  again.  There  was  nothing 
for  it  but  to  go  down  into  the  town  and  lodge 
there  for  the  night.  I  found  the  place  to  be 
Wareham,  near  by  Poole  Harbor,  and  thus, 
instead  of  arriving  at  Fordingbridge  as  I  had 
reckoned,  I  was  still,  upon  a  reasonable  near 
guess,  some  thirty  miles  distant.  Moreover,  the 
nag  was  wearied  out,  and  I  myself  could  no 
longer  sit  upright  in  the  saddle.  The  Hamp- 
shire troop  would  be  late  at  the  muster,  for  all  I 
could  do  ;  't  was  the  woundiest  hinderance,  but 
the  lot  I  must  bear,  in  spite  of  my  teeth. 
192 


I  take  the  Road 

Next  morning  I  was  on  the  road  again  long 
ere  sunrise,  taking  the  ostler  of  mine  Inn  to 
guide  me  so  far  as  Woolbridge ;  and  so  I 
arrived  at  Fordingbridge  and  the  house  of  Mr. 
Will  Jenkins  at  ten  in  the  forenoon,  five  hours 
after  the  whole  troop  should  have  kept  tryst  at 
Salisbury.  Mr.  Jenkins  despatched  half-a-dozen 
riders  hot-foot  to  the  gentlemen  concerned  in 
the  conspiracy,  who  were  billeted  with  their 
followers  in  the  manor  and  farm-houses  of  the 
neighborhood  ;  while  his  wife  and  a  bevy  of 
comely  daughters  made  me  great  cheer,  pressing 
to  stay  and  be  healed  of  my  bruises,  or  at  least 
to  await  the  riding  of  the  troop.  But  I  had 
scarce  patience  to  eat  some  bread  and  meat,  and 
drink  a  stoup  of  wine ;  and  borrowing  a  fresh 
horse,  I  struck  spurs  in  and  rode  off  at  top 
speed  for  Salisbury. 


13  193 


XIII 

HOW     THE    ROYALISTS     OCCUPIED 
SALISBURY  TOWN 

MY  road  lay  along  the  familiar  banks  of 
Avon,  and  through  my  own  estate  and 
village  of  Langford.  As  I  rode  up  the  street  the 
desperate  clatter  of  hoofs  brought  women  to 
their  cottage-doors ;  and  more  than  one  fellow, 
recognizing  me,  waved  his  cap  and  cried  out  a 
greeting. 

A  wild  clangor  of  bells  came  faintly  down 
wind ;  and  coming  in  sight  of  Salisbury  Cathe- 
dral, pale  against  the  lowering  gray  sky,  I  dis- 
cerned, above  the  battlement  where  the  steeple 
springs  from  the  tower,  a  black  speck  like  a  fly 
crawl  out  upon  the  yellow  stonework,  and 
unfurl  a  speckle  of  gold  and  scarlet  that  twinkled 
in  the  wind.  Methought  I  saw  a  pygmy  arm 
flung  up  (no  bigger  than  a  bristle),  and  I  knew 
194 


Occupying  of  Salisbury  Town 

the  man  was  cheering  the  Royal  Standard.  The 
city  was  won,  then.  A  frenzy  of  excitement 
seized  me ;  I  remember  rising  in  my  stirrups, 
waving  my  hat  and  holloing  till  the  wood  and 
water  rang.  The  pealing  clamor  of  the  great 
bells  swelled  momently  louder  until  the  whole 
air  was  filled  with  clashing  tintinabulations  ;  and 
presently  horse  and  man  galloped  across  the 
Chapel  Bridge  where  John  Manning  had  lain  in 
ambush  for  me,  and  where  (curse  him)  I  had 
let  him  go  free. 

The  city  was  in  a  mighty  turmoil.  The 
houses  seemed  to  have  emptied  into  the  streets, 
which  were  thronged  with  a  shouting  tide  of 
cits,  shopmen,  'prentices,  and  idle  fellows,  setting 
towards  the  Market  Place.  Here  and  there  a 
Royalist  trooper  in  steel  cap,  back  and  breast, 
with  a  couple  or  more  led  horses  jibbing  at  his 
elbow  (conveyed  without  doubt  from  the  nearest 
stable)  would  be  thrusting  his  way  through  the 
press  with  oaths  and  the  butt  of  his  arquebus. 
Not  a  shop  was  open,  and  many  of  them  were 
being  fortified  and  barricadoed  by  the  fat  bur- 
gesses and  greasy  tradesfolk  with  doors  wrenched 
off  their  hinges,  floor-boards,  and  ends  of  timber. 
'95 


Captain  Jacobus 

They  sweated  at  the  work  like  men  possessed ; 
so  hot  was  their  hurry  that  (although  I  noted  it 
not  at  the  time)  I  recollect  my  memory  of  one 
such  engineer,  his  puffy  face  all  crimson,  who, 
smiting  at  tenpenny  nails  with  a  great  hammer, 
struck  his  fingers  till  a  red  stain  came  out  upon 
the  white  wood,  yet  he  never  blenched  nor 
paused. 

Across  the  top  of  the  High  Street,  at  its 
entrance  into  the  Market-place,  a  double  file 
of  cavalry  was  posted  to  keep  the  mobile  back. 
Upon  giving  the  word,  "A  Roland,"  one 
returned  the  counter,  "  For  Oliver,"  the  ranks 
opened,  closed  behind  me,  and  I  found  myself 
in  the  Market-place.  A  squadron  of  cavalry 
was  drawn  up  in  the  form  of  a  hollow  square, 
in  the  midst  of  which  stood  a  knot  of  gentlemen 
on  horseback  conferring  together,  amongst  whom 
I  perceived  Sir  John  Penruddock  and  Sir  Joseph 
WagstafF.  Except  for  the  troopers,  the  Market- 
place was  empty,  files  being  stationed  at  the 
entering  in  of  the  streets.  The  windows  of  all 
the  houses  were  white  with  faces  and  alive  with 
gazing  eyes  ;  the  roofs  and  gables  were  moving 
with  spectators ;  a  gray,  still  sky  brooded  over 
196 


Occupying  of  Salisbury  Town 

all,  so  that  the  motley  of  colors  were  singularly 
distinct,  and  save  for  the  incessant  tumult  of  the 
bells  overhead,  there  reigned  an  ominous  silence. 
I  would  have  pushed  through  the  horsemen  to 
Sir  John  Penruddock,  to  inform  him  of  the 
speedy  arrival  of  the  Hampshire  troop ;  but  a 
major  near  by,  hearing  a  commotion,  turned 
with  an  oath  and  commanded  order ;  and  at  that 
moment  the  ranks  on  the  further  side  of  the 
square  opened  out,  I  caught  a  flash  of  moving 
scarlet,  and  the  two  judges,  in  their  robes  of  red 
trimmed  with  ermine,  and  the  sheriff  in  his 
furred  gown,  marched  into  the  midst  of  the 
Market-place,  conducted  by  a  couple  of  troopers 
on  either  hand  with  swords  drawn,  and  halted 
in  front  of  the  group  of  gentlemen.  Sir  Joseph 
Wagstaff  put  his  horse  a  pace  forward,  and 
made  a  speech,  of  which  I  could  only  catch  a 
word  here  and  there.  But  the  pealing  of  the 
bells  suddenly  ceasing,  he  raised  his  voice,  so  that 
the  words  echoed. 

"And  so,  my  lords,  and  you,   Mr.  Sheriff, 
are  condemned  by  the  King  his  Majesty,  against 
whom  y'  are  taken  in  rebellion,  seditiously  ad- 
ministering rebel  ordinances  upon  the  bodies  of 
197 


Captain  Jacobus 

his  loyal  and  faithful  subjects,  to  be  hanged  by 
the  neck  until  ye  be  dead,  and  may  God  have 
mercy  on  your  souls." 

He  ceased,  and  a  kind  of  tremor  ran  through 
the  multitude.  Then  the  Lord  Chief  Justice 
Rolles  stepped  forward,  with  his  parchment  of 
commission  unfurled  in  his  hand,  and  began  to 
speak.  I  could  not  hear  his  words ;  but  before 
he  had  done,  Sir  John  Penruddock  spurred  up 
to  Sir  Joseph  Wagstaff,  and  rounded  him  eagerly 
in  the  ear.  The  rest  of  the  gentlemen  crowded 
round,  and  they  conversed  together,  the  two 
bearded  men  in  scarlet  looking  quietly  on,  with 
no  sign  of  trepidation.  In  a  little  Sir  John  Pen- 
ruddock  put  his  horse  toward  them,  and  cried 
out  in  a  great  voice, — 

"  My  lords,  upon  due  consideration  of  your 
plea  for  mercy,  ye  are  reprieved  for  this  time. 
For  you,  Mr.  Sheriff,  y'  are  arrested." 

The  sheriff,  who  was  standing  a  little  back, 
hurried  forward  and  fell  on  his  knees  before  the 
knight,  with  clasped  hands  upraised,  crying 
aloud  for  mercy  in  a  weeping  voice. 

"  God-'a-mercy,  Sir  John,"  cried  one  of 
the  gentlemen,  "  hang  all  or  none  !  Truss  up 
198 


Occupying  of  Salisbury  Town 

the  pitiful  knave,  and  bring  him  along  for  a 
hostage." 

At  a  word  from  Sir  Joseph  two  of  the  troopers 
who  had  been  guarding  the  judges  took  the 
wretched  sheriff  by  the  elbows,  jerked  him  to 
his  feet,  and  bound  his  arms  behind  him.  I 
heard  the  men  round  me  swearing  freely. 
"  This  is  no  way  to  set  about  the  business," 
quoth  one,  "  to  condemn  one  minute  and  pardon 
the  next."  And,  indeed,  I  was  much  of  the 
same  opinion. 

The  judges,  after  exchanging  a  few  words 
with  the  officers,  delivered  up  their  commissions 
and  turned  to  depart,  the  gentlemen  raising  their 
hats  to  them,  and  the  ranks  opening  out  again  to 
let  them  through.  The  people  at  the  windows 
and  upon  the  house-tops  set  up  a  great  shout, 
but  whether  for  joy  or  anger  I  could  not  tell. 
As  the  troops  began  to  move  and  to  re-form  I 
spurred  through  the  press  to  Sir  John  Pen- 
ruddock. 

"Mr.  Langford,  I  think,"  said  he,  saluting 
me.  "Where  are  the  Hampshiremen,  sir ? " 

I  explained  the  delay  as  best  I  could,  but  he 
scarce  heard  me  out. 

199 


Captain  Jacobus 

"  'T  is  no  matter,"  he  said.  "  We  have  done 
very  well  without  them,  you  see.  The  city 
surrendered  at  discretion.  We  march  down 
West,  whither  they  may  follow  at  their  leisure. 
Give  you  good-den,  Mr.  Langford,"  and,  rais- 
ing his  hat,  he  turned  away.  Sir  John  was 
plainly  a  good  deal  elated,  but  (had  he  only 
known  it)  no  man  had  ever  less  reason  in  this 
world. 

Making  my  way  to  the  Poultry  Cross,  I  gave 
my  horse  to  a  trooper,  and,  with  beating  heart, 
went  up  to  the  door  of  Mayor  Phelps's  house. 
I  knocked  in  vain,  and  finding  the  door  upon 
the  latch,  I  entered  the  hall.  Methought  as  I 
crossed  the  threshold  that  I  heard  a  noise  of 
hammering,  as  of  some  one  cleaving  wood ;  but 
no  sooner  had  I  closed  the  door  behind  me  than 
the  sound  ceased.  I  stood  quiet  and  listened ; 
there  was  nothing  to  be  heard  save  the  tick-tack 
of  the  tall  clock  in  the  corner.  I  hurried  from 
room  to  room,  but  all  were  empty  ;  the  door  of 
Barbara's  chamber  stood  open,  and  I  went  in 
softly,  with  a  sense  of  profanation.  'Twas  all 
in  confusion,  cupboards  and  chests  standing  open, 
clothes  and  dainty  gear  tossed  upon  the  bed  and 


Occupying  of  Salisbury  Town 

upon  the  floor,  where  I  spied  a  pair  of  tiny, 
red-heeled  shoon,  and  put  them  in  my  pocket. 
Pausing  to  weigh  this  strange  condition  of  affairs, 
I  heard  the  knocking  sounds  re-commence  down- 
stairs. I  descended  swiftly  to  the  hall,  but 
before  I  had  reached  the  stair-foot  all  was  once 
more  still. 

The  hall  was  a  long,  sombre  room,  with  a 
wide,  diamond-paned  window  looking  on  the 
street  at  one  end,  and  a  massive  staircase  ascend- 
ing at  the  other.  Dim  portraits  of  men  in 
armor,  and  demure  ladies  in  ruff  and  stomacher 
(for  the  Phelpses  came  of  a  good  lineage)  were 
framed  in  the  brown  panelling  that  lined  the 
walls  from  oaken  floor  to  oak-beamed  ceiling. 
As  I  stood  gazing  in  absence  of  mind  at  the 
profile  of  a  helmed  warrior  whose  picture  was 
next  to  the  great  stone  fireplace,  I  suddenly 
beheld  his  eyeball  move,  a  shining  speck  in  the 
gloom.  My  skin  crept  upon  me,  and  I  glanced 
fearfully  round  at  the  shadows  that  lurked  in  the 
corners ;  then  I  looked  again.  The  dead 
Elizabethan  was  gazing  in  front  of  him  under 
painted  lids.  My  brain  was  tricking  me  again, 
I  supposed ;  and  small  wonder,  for  my  battered 

201 


Captain  Jacobus 

head  ached  sorely  whenever  I  had  time  to  think 
about  it.  I  drew  a  step  nearer,  staring  at  the 
picture ;  when  my  heart  gave  a  bursting  leap, 
for  a  voice  issued  from  the  wall. 

"I  fear  I  must  put  you  to  the  trouble  of 
releasing  me,  Mr.  Langford,"  it  said,  in  muffled 
tones.  "  Touch  the  spring,  and  undo  the  bolts, 
if  you  please.*' 

I  had  no  notion  there  was  a  secret  chamber, 
or  priest's  hole,  in  that  place ;  and  marvelling 
greatly,  sought  for  the  spring.  The  voice  con- 
tinued to  direct  me  ;  and  at  length  a  massy  steel 
lever  shot  back,  the  whole  picture  opened  out- 
wards like  a  door,  and  who  should  step  over 
the  wainscot  but  Manning,  with  his  high  look 
and  superior  air,  and  neatly  tied  love-lock,  just 
as  I  had  last  beheld  him  under  that  roof. 

"  Give  you  good-den,  Mr.  Langford,"  said 
he,  politely.  "  I  am  sorry  to  have  put  you  to  so 
much  trouble.  But  I  made  no  doubt  you  knew 
the  secrets  of  this  house  at  least  so  well  as  I,'* 
said  Manning,  with  sarcasm. 

There  were  a  good  many  questions  which  I 
should  have  liked  Manning  to  resolve  for  me: 
Had  he  aught  to  do  with  the  deprivation  of  my 
202 


Occupying  of  Salisbury  Town 

estate,  and  what  was  the  Plymouth  Plot  ?  Why 
had  he  spied  upon  me  from  the  window  of  the 
inn  among  the  Flemish  sand-dunes  ?  Why  had 
he  pried  into  my  pockets  that  night  upon  the 
Saint  Gabriel,  masquerading  in  the  French  lan- 
guage and  a  wig  ?  Why  had  he  stolen  my 
horse  from  the  Blue  Garland  ?  How  dared  he  ? 
Where  were  the  three  seals,  and  the  three  thou- 
sand pounds?  And  where  Jacobus?  Above 
all,  where  was  Barbara  ?  Why  was  the  house 
empty,  while  he  was  bolted  into  the  priest's 
hole  ?  And  again,  what  the  devil  was  he  doing 
there,  after  my  warning,  and  challenge  on  the 
Chapel  Bridge? 

Manning  stood  gazing  insolently  at  me, 
hand  on  hip,  as  I  ran  these  things  over  in  my 
mind ;  and  looking  at  him,  it  came  upon  me 
that  the  only  proposition  in  the  world  I  could 
make  to  such  a  fellow  was  the  last  on  the  cata- 
logue. I  accordingly  propounded  it ;  and  so  it 
was  that  I  never  got  solutions  to  any  of  my 
problems  from  Manning. 

'*  My  privy  business,  I  have  the  honor  to 
presume,"  answered  Manning. 

"Well,  you  remember  what  I  told  you?" 
said  I.  203 


Captain  Jacobus 

"I  recollect  me  perfectly  of  your  singular 
courtesy,"  returned  Manning.  "  'Sblood,  how 
much  longer  will  you  dilly-dally  about  this  busi- 
ness ?"  he  shouted,  in  sudden  insane  fury. 
"  Must  I  spit  in  your  face,  you  dog,  to  make 
you  fight?"  and  therewith  he  caught  me  a 
buffet  on  my  wounded  head,  that  struck  like  a 
bolt  of  fire. 

Half  blinded  with  the  pain,  I  drew  upon  him  ; 
our  rapiers  hissed  from  the  scabbards  at  the  same 
instant ;  and  we  set-to  like  a  couple  of  bulls. 
I  used  both  hands,  to  ease  my  maimed  arm  that 
was  mighty  sore  and  stiff,  holding  the  blade  just 
over  the  hilts  with  my  left  gauntlet,  as  one  does 
at  the  end  of  a  long  fencing  bout.  Manning 
fought  with  the  light  of  the  window  in  his  eyes, 
so  that  I  had  a  small  advantage  ;  and  my  arm 
growing  easier  and  my  head  clearer,  I  began  to 
press  him  hard.  The  sweat  glistened  on  his 
forehead,  and  he  panted  aloud ;  but  he  was  a 
stanch  fighter,  full  as  good  at  tricks  of  fence  as 
I,  and  in  far  better  trim ;  and  I  began  to 
wonder  how  long  I  could  hold  out.  I  had 
pricked  him  once  or  twice,  and  my  foot  had 
near  slipped  in  my  own  blood ;  the  sparks  were 
204 


Occupying  of  Salisbury  Town 

flying,  and  the  room  ringing  like  a  stithy,  when 
a  door  clapped,  and  in  another  moment  our 
blades  were  stricken  up  by  old  Richard  Phelps, 
with  a  half-pike  he  must  have  snatched  from 
the  wall  as  he  entered.  Instantly  Manning 
slipped  behind  the  Mayor,  and  ran  out  of  the 
house,  slamming  the  door  in  my  face.  Next 
moment  I  was  out  and  after  him,  to  see  him 
with  a  dash  of  his  sword  cut  down  the  trooper 
who  held  my  horse,  leap  upon  the  nag's  back, 
drive  spurs  in,  and  away,  the  people  running 
this  way  and  that  at  the  rattle  of  the  hoofs. 
Pursuing  him  hot-foot,  the  bloody  rapier  naked 
in  my  hand,  I  kept  him  in  sight  until  we  cleared 
the  streets,  where  troopers  were  still  straggling 
out  after  Sir  John  Penruddock's  main  body. 
But  I  was  already  spent;  and  scarce  a  bow- 
shoot  from  the  walls,  I  was  fain  to  stop  and 
lean  upon  my  sword  for  breath.  In  a  pater- 
noster-while, a  big  dragoon  with  a  couple  of  led 
horses  in  his  fist,  drew  rein  beside  me. 

"  What,  man !  Hast  been  in  a  fray,  and 
gotten  the  worst  o't,  by'r  Lady.  Art  for 
Caesar  ?  What  will  ye  give  me  for  Roland, 
then  ? " 

205 


Captain  Jacobus 

««  Oliver,"  I  said,  gasping. 
«« Right   so.      Why,   then,   get  astride  the 
nag." 

I  laid  hold  of  the  animal,  but  had  not  the 
trooper  dismounted  to  help  me,  I  could  not 
have  climbed  upon  his  back.  We  rode  together 
to  Wilton,  where  we  halted  at  the  Orle  of 
Martlets.  Giving  the  man  a  crown  to  drink 
my  health,  he  brought  me  out  a  tasse  of  wine, 
which  revived  me  somewhat,  and  I  rode  on 
alone  into  Grovely  Wood,  where  by  good 
fortune  I  stumbled  upon  the  track  to  the  thieves' 
chapel.  By  this  time  I  was  become  so  horribly 
ill  that  methought  I  should  never  live  to  get 
there,  and  rode  in  agony,  lying  on  my  horse's 
neck.  As  we  came  out  upon  the  clearing 
where  stood  the  chapel,  I  beheld  the  figure  of 
Barbara  standing  on  the  threshold,  and  heard 
her  voice,  and  saw  her  run  towards  me,  and 
rolled  senseless  at  her  feet. 


206 


XIV 

HOW  CAPTAIN  JACOBUS  EXECUTED 
THE  KING'S  COMMISSION 

WAS  a  week  since  the  capture  of  the 
city.  I  was  basking  in  the  sun  on  mat- 
tress and  pillows,  on  the  grass  outside  the 
Beggars'  Chapel,  occupying  the  very  place  of 
one  of  those  sentries  whom  Jacobus  and  I,  little 
more  than  three  weeks  agone,  had  found  asleep, 
his  match  smouldering  beside  him  ;  while  the 
Captain  himself  lay  in  the  place  of  the  other 
rascal,  smoking  a  cigarro,  his  hat  over  his  eyes  ; 
and  Barbara  sat  above  me  in  an  orange-tawny 
velvet  chair.  At  a  little  distance,  beyond  the 
bubbling  stream,  stood  the  covered  wagon  of 
the  half-dozen  Egyptians  whom  the  Captain 
had  retained  for  servants ;  the  swarthy  people 
in  their  bright  garments  were  gathered  about  a 
crackling  wood  fire,  above  which,  amid  the 
curling  blue  smoke,  hung  a  pot  upon  a  tripod. 
207 


Captain  Jacobus 

Beyond,  the  forest  closed  us  in,  dressed  in  its 
spring  bravery ;  between  the  rough  trunks, 
hyacinths  hid  the  ground  like  a  blue  mist ; 
overhead,  fragile,  tiny  clouds  voyaged  upon  the 
blue  before  a  westerly  gale ;  while  now  and 
again  the  jolly  sun  would  veil  his  face  behind 
the  mounded  purple  wrack. 

The  Captain  had  dispersed  the  rest  of  the 
beggars  and  gypsies  north,  east,  south,  and 
west ;  had  caused  the  chapel  to  be  cleansed 
from  floor  to  roof-tree,  and  to  be  strewn  with 
fresh  rushes ;  had  transformed  his  room  of  the 
sacristy  into  a  sleeping-chamber  for  Barbara  and 
her  nurse ;  and  had  built  a  partition  of  branches 
in  the  body  of  the  place  for  my  benefit ;  while 
Jacobus  himself  commonly  watched  me  by 
night,  and  slept  as  he  could  by  day.  He  had 
gone  down  to  Salisbury  upon  the  night  of  my 
arrival,  and  informed  Mr.  Phelps  of  matters  ; 
the  old  man  had  ridden  up  twice  or  thrice, 
laden  with  cordials  and  dainties  for  the  sick 
man  ;  but  Barbara  had  declined  to  return  with 
her  father,  or  to  admit  an  apothecary  ;  saying 
that  her  business  was  to  nurse  me  until  I  was 
whole,  and  that  she  was  a  better  doctor  than 
208 


The  King's  Commission 

any  barber-surgeon  of  them  all.  Meanwhile, 
for  the  last  three  days,  I  had  slept  almost  con- 
tinuously ;  and  now,  as  I  lay  in  the  blessed 
sunlight,  save  for  a  certain  languor  and  stiffness, 
I  felt  a  whole  man  once  more.  Therefore,  I 
requested  the  dozing  Captain  to  give  me  the 
news,  and  a  full  relation  of  his  adventures 
in  the  house  of  Mayor  Phelps.  Jacobus  con- 
sulted my  physician  with  a  look,  who  nodded 
permission. 

"Fair  and  softly,  boy,"  said  he;  "what 
made  you  a  day  late  at  Fordingbridge  ? " 

"  I  lost  my  horse  first,  then  my  head,  and 
last  my  way,"  I  replied. 

"All  that?"  remarked  Jacobus.  "Well, 
you  found  your  way  again,  I  take  it,  and  you 
seem  to  have  regained  a  kind  of  headpiece,  if 
a  little  the  worse  for  wear.  But  how  did  you 
get  a  horse  ?  Or  did  you  walk  ?  Y'  had  time 
enough  ? " 

The  Captain's  tone  was  scarcely  flattering; 
but  put  it  every  way  I  had  not  shone  in  my 
exploits,  and  'twas  foolish  to  take  offence. 

"There  are  plenty  of  nags  upon  the  road," 
I  said,  mildly. 

14  209 


Captain  Jacobus 

Jacobus  did  not  move  so  much  as  an  eyelid. 
There  was  an  appreciable  pause,  and  when  he 
spoke,  requesting  me  to  tell  my  story,  he  did 
not  betray  the  slightest  sense  of  what  was  im- 
plied by  my  admission.  I  briefly  related  my 
misfortunes.  When  I  came  to  Manning's 
escape,  Jacobus  swore  blasphemously  until  he 
caught  the  look  upon  Mrs.  Barbara's  face. 

"I  crave  your  pardon,  mistress,"  said  he; 
"but  I  left  the  man  for  Anthony  to  kill,  and 
he  *s  let  him  go.  I  would  'a'  cut  his  throat 
else." 

"I  do  not  like  such  talk,"  said  Barbara, 
soberly. 

"  What  of  Penruddock  ?  "  I  asked,  for  neither 
had  I  any  great  desire  to  discuss  Mr.  Manning. 

''Colonel  Penruddock  and  the  best  part  of 
his  troop  are  lodged  in  Exeter  Jail,"  said 
Jacobus,  evenly. 

"What!"  I  cried.  "Is  the  plot  at  an 
end,  then?"  My  gilded  expectations  trembled 
like  a  house  of  cards. 

"Plot  !  "  returned  Jacobus,  savagely,  "  'twas 
a  schoolboy's  freak  —  'twas  the  King  of  France 
with  forty  thousand  men  —  'twas  anything  you 


The  King's  Commission 

please.  Colonel  John  and  Major  Joseph,  with  not 
forty  hundred,  —  not  four  hundred,  as  God  's  my 
life,  —  go  out  to  conquer  a  kingdom  of  soldiers  ! 
They  take  Salisbury  without  a  blow  struck  on 
either  side  ;  and  had  they  laid  down  any  sort 
of  plan  whatsoever  —  had  they  even  waited  for 
your  damned  Hampshiremen,  or  marched  on 
London,  things  might  have  gone  better ;  the 
country  might  have  taken  fire,  and  at  any  rate 
nothing  could  have  fallen  out  worse.  But, 
having  captured  the  city  by  five  in  the  morning, 
they  desert  it  by  two  in  the  afternoon,  without 
leaving  so  much  as  a  corporal's  guard  for  garri- 
son. They  do  not  even  hang  the  bloody  judges. 
Whereupon  all  things  resume  their  course  as 
though  the  soldiers  had  never  set  foot  in  the 
town.  Why  did  they  so  at  all  ?  What,  'a 
God's  name,  did  they  think  they  were  doing  ! 
Well,  as  I  say,  Sir  John  and  Sir  Joseph  sound 
tuckets,  march  away  down  west  towards  Bland- 
ford  with  drums  beating  and  colors  flying  for 
some  two  or  three  hours,  when  who  should  they 
meet  but  our  old  friend  Captain  Crook  with  his 
patrol  of  dragoons.  The  Royalist  horses  were 
wearied  out,  the  army  could  neither  fight  nor  fly  ; 

211 


Captain  Jacobus 

whereupon  Crook  promises  free  pardon  on  the 
word  of  a  gentleman  to  all  who  yield  peaceably  ; 
and  the  end  of  it  was  that  Sir  John  and  the  most 
of  them  gave  up  their  arms,  while  Sir  Joseph 
and  the  rest,  having,  I  suppose,  some  glimmer- 
ings of  sense,  got  away  on  foot  into  hiding. 
Next  day  Crook  drives  the  whole  posse  like 
sheep  into  Exeter  Jail,  where  they  are  now 
awaiting  the  butcher.  The  Hampshire  gentle- 
men, finding  Salisbury  empty,  swept,  and  gar- 
nished, rode  quietly  home  again,  like  wise  men. 
So  ends  the  Penruddock  Plot  for  the  glorious 
restoration  of  our  sovereign  lord  the  king," 
Jacobus  ended,  getting  up  and  striding  across 
the  grass  to  relight  his  cigarro  at  the  gypsies' 
fire. 

Barbara  laid  her  hand  on  mine  for  a  moment. 
For  myself  I  had  scant  reason  to  complain,  but 
I  was  dreadfully  oppressed. 

"  They  will  not  dare  to  hang  them  ?  "  I  said, 
when  Jacobus  returned. 

"  Will  they  not  ? "  said  he.  "  Is  there  any 
horrible  crime  Oliver  will  shirk?  And  these 
men  were  taken  red-handed  in  rebellion.  A 
promise !  What  is  a.  promise  to  a  Puritan  ? 

212 


The  King's  Commission 

They  have  changed  the  code  of  gentlemen  for 
the  Book  of  Leviticus." 

The  rarity  seemed  to  have  gone  out  of  the 
sunshine,  and  we  sat  in  silence.  Presently 
Jacobus,  perhaps  to  divert  my  thoughts,  took 
up  the  tale  of  his  adventures. 

"  We  entered  the  city  about  five  of  the  clock 
on  the  morning  of  April  zd,  as  I  have  said, 
a  troop  of  horse  about  two  hundred  strong,  all 
as  arranged.  First  we  rode  to  the  jail,  and 
threatened  to  carry  the  place  by  assault  unless 
they  opened  the  gates,  which  they  did.  Where- 
upon we  entered  and  turned  all  the  prisoners 
loose  into  the  streets.  Some  of  my  own  beggar- 
spies  were  among  'em.  Then  we  dispersed  in 
bands  to  requisition  all  the  horses  in  the  town. 
I  took  a  hand  in  that  also,  and  'twas  excellent 
sport.  These  little  risings  fail  invariably,  but 
they  are  admirable  fooling  while  they  last.  After 
that  I  went  to  breakfast  with  the  officers  at  the 
sign  of  the  Sun  over  against  the  Conduit,  where 
master  inn-keeper  could  find  naught  good  enough 
to  set  before  us ;  I  never  beheld  a  man  so  in- 
stantly obsequious.  Before  we  had  done  there 
comes  one  running  to  say  that  the  Mayor  and 
213 


Captain  Jacobus 

Aldermen  were  assembled  in  the  Town  Hall, 
whither  the  Colonel  and  Sir  Joseph  went  imme- 
diately. I  stayed  till  I  had  finished  breakfast, 
when  I  thought  it  a  suitable  time  to  present  the 
paper  of  seals  at  the  house  of  Mayor  Phelps,  so 
rode  leisurely  up  High  Street  and  across  the 
Market-place.  All  the  troopers  —  gentlemen, 
yeomen,  and  churls  —  were  carousing  on  every 
side  ;  the  cits  welcomed  'em  like  brothers ;  and 
ale  was  flowing  like  a  festival.  A  parcel  of 
madcaps  had  set  the  bells  going ;  altogether, 
't  was  like  the  capture  of  a  city  in  a  play-house. 
I  had  my  own  affairs  to  mind,  or,  body  o'  me, 
I  would  have  shown  the  Colonel  another-guess 
way  to  set  about  the  business. 

"Well,  I  left  my  horse  with  the  soberest 
soldado  I  could  see,  found  the  house,  and  knocked 
upon  the  panel.  'T  was  opened  at  once  by  a 
tall,  black-avised  gallant,  whom  I  surmised  to 
be  Manning  himself,  as  I  had  expected. 

"'Give  you  good-den,  Mr.  Manning,'  I 
said,  to  make  sure. 

"  '  Y'  have  my  name  very  pat,'  said  he.  '  I 
have  not  the  honor  of  knowing  you,  I  think.' 

*' '  Here  is  that  may  serve  for  recommenda- 
214 


The  King's  Commission 

tion,'   I  said,  and   showed   him  the  paper  of 
seals. 

"  He  put  out  his  hand  to  take  it,  but  I  stowed 
it  back  in  my  pocket. 

" '  Come  in,  sir,  and  welcome,'  said  he,  and 
led  me  into  a  little  business-looking  cabinet  at 
the  back  of  the  hall,  and  shut  the  door.  There 
was  a  leash  of  tankards  on  the  table,  and  after 
pledging  each  other,  we  sat  down.  For  all  his 
easy  manner,  I  could  see  that  the  fellow  sus- 
pected me  bitterly,  fearing,  I  suppose,  that  you 
had  penetrated  his  disguise,  and  had  informed 
me  of  his  doings. 

"  '  Is  not  your  name  Simeon,  sir  ? '  said  Mr. 
Manning,  looking  at  me. 

"  <  Why,  no,'  I  said.  '  My  name  is  Jacobus, 
Captain  Jacobus.  You  have  never  heard  it 
before,  perhaps  ? ' 

"  '  Indeed,'  says  my  gentleman,  with  a  bow, 
''tis  a  title  I  have  long  been  familiar  with. 
But  y'  are  a  little  trifle  like  a  certain  Mr. 
Simeon  I  did  once  know,  at  the  first  glance. 
Well,  I  have  three  thousand  pounds  to  deliver 
to  you,  sir  ;  and  I  am  glad  to  confide  the  moneys 
to  such  experienced  hands,'  says  he.  « But 
215 


Captain  Jacobus 


prithee,  Captain,  how  go  matters  in  the 
town  ? ' 

"  I  shrugged  my  shoulders  and  pulled  a  long 
face,  for  I  wanted  to  see  what  he  would  be  at. 

"'Well  enough,'  I  said.  "Tis  not 
very  difficult  to  march  a  troop  of  horse  into  an 
unarmed  country  place.' 

"  '  You  think,  then,  the  event  is  doubtful,* 
he  asked. 

"'Come,'  I  returned,  'you  and  I,  dear 
sir,  are  men  of  the  great  world.  We  are  about 
a  matter  of  some  moment,  and  I  will  be  open 
with  you.  Is  it  probable  that  a  handful  of  raw 
cavalry  can  upset  a  kingdom  guarded  by  the 
finest  army  in  the  world  ? ' 

"  Mr.  Manning  was  visibly  discomposed. 
*'Tis  then  a  question,'  said  he,  'whether 
or  no  this  great  sum  of  money  would  not  be 
better  laid  by  a  while  until  a  more  promising 
occasion  ? ' 

"  '  'T  is  a  question,  certainly,'  I  said  ;  for 
I  began  to  perceive  his  drift. 

" '  It  might  be  well,'  pursued  my  conspira- 
tor, eying  me,  '  to  bestow  it  meanwhile  in 
some  safe  hiding-place  :  doubtless  you  know  of 
such,  Captain  ?'  216 


The  King's  Commission 

"  'It  might,  truly,'  I  said.  'But  is  it  not 
safe  where  it  now  is  ? ' 

"'No,  by  no  means,'  said  Manning,  with 
conviction.  '  And  the  sooner  you  and  I  get 
to  shifting  the  gold  the  better,'  says  he,  get- 
ring  up. 

"  '  'Tis  in  the  house,  then  ?'  I  said. 

"  '  That  you  will  see,'  he  answered ;  and 
by  that  I  knew  it  was. 

"  '  There  is  just  a  point,  Mr.  Manning,'  I 
observed.  '  This  money,  properly  expended 
now,  might  it  not  work  the  success  of  the  plot 
which  we  know  must  otherwise  fail  ?  ' 

"  He  seemed  to  reflect  a  moment,  then  shook 
his  head. 

" '  The  chance  is  so  inconsiderable,'  said 
he,  '  it  is  not  worth  the  risk.' 

"  'Faith,  but  I  think  it  is  worth  it,'  said  I. 

"  '  That  is  for  me  to  decide,  by  your  leave, 
Captain,'  said  Manning,  blackening. 

"  Then  I  smoked  his  trick.  Had  the  Cava- 
liers been  in  a  fair  way  to  success,  he  would 
have  given  me  the  money  in  pure  speculation, 
hoping  to  be  rewarded  hereafter  by  the  king 
with  a  good  place  about  the  Court.  But  as,  on 
217 


Captain  Jacobus 

the  contrary,  they  seemed  in  the  way  to  fail,  his 
game  was  to  nab  the  gett  himself.  He  could 
not  transport  the  treasure  alone,  and  so  I  was  to 
assist  him  —  to  get  knocked  on  the  head  from 
behind  for  my  pains,  belike !  The  money, 
then,  was  not  his  own  ;  therefore  it  belonged 
to  Mr.  Phelps  ;  and  I  had  next  to  discover 
whether  Mr.  Phelps  had  designed  this  gift  for 
his  Majesty,  or  Manning  was  robbing  him.  So 
I  pulled  out  a  pistol  and  covered  Mr.  Manning. 

"  '  Put  forth  hand  to  sword  or  pistol  and  I 
will  break  the  bone  of  your  arm  with  a  bullet,' 
I  said.  « I  am  tired  of  this  talk.  Come,  sir ! 
I  bear  the  king's  commission  ;  and  in  that  ser- 
vice I  have  toppled  a  many  more  pretty  gentle- 
men into  the  dust  and  the  dark  than  you  have 
ever  passed  the  time  o'  day  with.  There  is 
better  company  than  you  are  accustomed  to 
keep,  belike,  waiting  for  you  on  the  other  side 
Styx.  As  God's  my  life,  ye  shall  join  them 
ere  I  count  five,  sith  you  do  not  straightway 
deliver  me  up  three  thousand  pounds,  peaceably 
and  without  treachery.' 

"I  began  to  count,  one,  two,  but  my  gentle- 
man was  nothing  dismayed,  and  had  the  impu- 
218 


The  King's  Commission 

dence  to  grin  at  me.  Your  Manning  is  a 
courageous  chuff,  and  't  is  pity  he  is  so  double- 
minded  and  unsteadfast. 

"  '  Easy,  Captain,'  says  he.  «  Easy  with 
the  firelock,  they  are  ill  engines  for  mounte- 
banks to  handle.  Y'  are  not  upon  the  king's 
highway,  nor  am  I  a  fool  of  a  burgess  to  be 
scared  by  your  windy  violence.  If  you  shot 
me,  you  would  never  find  the  treasure,  o'  my 
word.' 

"  '  —  Three,'  said  I.  '  You  forget,  sir, 
I  could  ask  Mr.  Phelps.' 

"'You  could  so,'  says  Manning,  'and 
sith  the  Mayor  is  a  bitter  Roundhead,  I  leave 
you  to  imagine  the  response  you  would  get.' 

"  '  So  y'  are  about  spoiling  the  Egyptians, 
is  't  not  so  ?  I  do  begin  to  perceive  a  kindred 
spirit  in  you,'  I  said. 

"  '  Put  down  your  pistol,  then,'  said  Man- 
ning ;  and  so  I  did,  for  it  had  served  my 
turn. 

"  '  Come,    Mr.    Manning,'    I   said,     '  time 

wastes,   let  us  understand  one  another  without 

more  ado.     Had  the  king  been  on  his  way  to 

Whitehall,  the  matter  would  have  worn  a  dif- 

219 


Captain  Jacobus 

ferent  complexion,  I  take  it  ;  but  as  his  Majesty 
is  fast  in  Holland,  and  extremely  likely  to  stay 
there,  we  need  not  discuss  that  aspect  of  the 
problem.  As  it  is,  you  want  the  gold  for  your- 
self, I  know  that.  Why,  therefore,  deny  it  ? 
Moreover,  as  you  cannot  steal  it  without  help, 
you  hoped  I  should  have  assisted  you  blindfold. 
That  will  not  come  to  pass  ;  but  I  will  assist 
you  —  upon  conditions. ' 

"  Manning  looked  at  me,  and  I  saw  that  I 
had  hit  him. 

"  '  You  make  a  strange  mistake,  Captain 
Jacobus,'  says  he,  biting  his  finger.  '  'T  is  a 
natural  suspicion  for  a  gentleman  of  your  habit, 
or  I  should  think  you  meant  to  insult  me.  We 
cannot  all  be  highwaymen.  These  moneys 
belong  to  the  king,  sir.' 

"  «  Ay,  sir,'  I  said,  '  and  so  doth  this  realm 
of  England  ;  but  he  hath  it  not  in  his  pocket 
any  the  more  for  that.  I  know  what  y'  are 
drumbling  at.  Y'  are  thinking  I  am  hand  and 
glove  with  young  Langford,  because  I  carry  the 
three  seals  that  he  had  from  the  king.  I  sup- 
pose ye  guessed  he  had  them,  as  king's  messen- 
ger ;  and  it  is  true  I  took  them  from  him.  I 
220 


The  King's  Commission 

keep  the  roads  of  the  West  Country  as  y*  are 
aware  ;  and  I  stopped  the  gallant  on  his  way 
hither  from  Lyme  Regis,  and  made  him  turn 
me  out  his  pockets  for  a  jest,  — for  I  take 
nothing,  only  from  Roundheads.  The  three 
seals  took  my  fancy  ;  they  smelled  of  gold  to 
me  ;  but  my  gallant  would  tell  me  naught  about 
them,  till  I  bound  the  boy  to  a  tree  and  tied 
a  piece  of  lighted  match  betwixt  his  fingers, 
when  he  found  his  tongue.  He  held  you  in 
some  suspicion  of  treachery,  it  seemed,  which 
methought  would  be  the  better  for  me  ;  there- 
fore I  took  the  adventure  on  myself,  and  let 
little  Langford  go  on  his  errand.  But  we  had 
best  be  quick,  for  he  is  but  ridden  to  Fording- 
bridge  to  warn  the  Hampshiremen,  and  will 
doubtless  be  here  presently.' 

"  Manning  swallowed  that  invention  of  my 
Minerva  like  a  common  gull. 

"  '  You  said  —  upon  conditions  ?  '  quoth 
he. 

"  <  Half,'  I  said. 

"  But  Manning  could  not  stomach  that,  and 
huffed,  swore,  looked  big,  and  blustered. 

"  '  Well,'  said  I,  « I  thank  God  I  can  earn 

221 


Captain  Jacobus 

my  livelihood  without  picking  the  pockets  of 
honest  burgesses.  Give  you  good-den,  Mr. 
Manning,'  and  I  made  as  if  to  go. 

"  At  that  he  altered  his  note,  and  presently 
agreed  ;  and  we  went  into  the  hall,  where  he 
pressed  the  spring,  opened  the  panelling,  and 
entered  the  priest's  hole.  'T  was  a  tiny  square 
stone  chamber,  with  a  round  window  high  up 
to  the  left ;  on  the  right  a  flight  of  steps  led  up 
to  a  fireplace,  where  was  a  space  big  enough  for 
a  man  to  sit  with  comfort  ;  and  a  little  door 
opened  therefrom,  I  supposed  into  the  chimney 
of  the  hall  fireplace.  The  panel  door  was 
stoutly  barred  and  thicknessed  ;  a  space  was  cut 
out  behind  the  face  of  the  portrait,  and  a  little 
slip  of  canvas  moved  on  a  pin,  so  that  a  man 
could  lay  his  cheek  at  the  back  of  the  thin  board 
and  peer  through  the  eyehole.  'T  was  a  sweet 
place  wherein  to  stow  money-bags  ;  and  well  it 
was  for  Master  Phelps  that  he  hath  you  to  his 
son-in-law,  Anthony  !  Manning  went  up  the 
steps,  kneeled  down,  and  began  to  grope  on  the 
stones.  I  whipped  out  of  the  chamber  and 
shut-to  the  panel  quietly ;  but  he  must  'a'  heard 
the  bolt  click,  for  he  flung  himself  against  the 

222 


The  King's  Commission 

wood,  crying  out.  Had  he  thought  instead  of 
the  door  in  the  chimney,  'a  might  have  escaped  ; 
but  I  climbed  swiftly  up  and  drew  bolts  on  the 
hither  side,  and  a  mighty  sooty  job  it  was. 
Well,  there  was  my  clever  conspirator  fast 
by  the  heels  till  you  came  to  turn  him  out  and 
cut  off  his  head,  Anthony.  I  am  sorry  you 
left  it  on  his  shoulders.  '  T  was  your  quarrel, 
and  I  thought  you  would  like  to  end  it  yourself, 
else  I  would  have  killed  him.  Then  I  bethought 
me  of  Mrs.  Barbara,  and  walked  upstairs  to 
search  for  her,  whereupon  I  heard  a  little  noise 
of  sobbing  behind  a  locked  door,  upon  which  I 
knocked.  '  Who  's  there  ? '  asked  some  one,  in 
a  weeping  voice.  '  I  come  from  Mr.  Langford,' 
I  said.  '  My  name  is  Jacobus.'  Mrs.  Bar- 
bara opened  at  once  ;  and  when  she  saw  me,  she 
smiled  through  her  tears,"  said  Jacobus  send- 
mentally. 

"  You  were  a  figure  to  make  the  cat  laugh, 
with  your  fine  lendings  and  your  soot,"  said 
Mrs.  Barbara.  "  But  I  was  glad  to  see  you, 
too.  I  was  afraid  for  my  father,  for  I  made 
sure  there  was  fighting  in  the  town.  And  Mr. 
Manning  was  not  the  pleasantest  house-mate." 
223 


Captain  Jacobus 

"  All  things  considered,"  pursued  Jacobus,  "  I 
thought  't  was  safest  to  take  Mrs.  Barbara  from 
harm's  way  until  matters  were  settled  in  the 
city.  Besides,  Manning  was  in  the  house,  and 
when  you  came,  there  must  have  been  blood- 
shed. So  Mrs.  Barbara  packed  her  valise  while 
I  got  her  a  palfrey  ;  and,  taking  her  nurse  be- 
hind me,  we  sought  refuge  in  my  private  sanct- 
uary. So  endeth  the  adventure  of  the  three 
seals ; "  and  he  tossed  me  the  paper.  It  lies 
before  me  now  as  I  write,  torn  and  discolored, 
one  antique  head  cracked  across  the  cheek. 

"  Captain,"  I  said,  "  I  am  inexpressibly  be- 
holden to  you,"  and  I  reached  him  my  hand. 

He  shook  it  negligently.  "  I  doubt  me  if 
the  king  would  make  quite  the  same  observation," 
said  Jacobus. 


224 


XV 

A   QUESTION   OF  CONSCIENCE 

THE  next  day  came  one  of  the  Captain's 
beggar-spies  with  news,  saying  that  a 
general  jail  delivery  would  be  holden  at  Exeter 
on  April  1 8th,  when  Sir  John  Penruddock  and 
his  following  would  be  put  upon  their  trial  ; 
and  that  Chief  Justice  Rolles  had  returned  to 
London,  instead  of  proceeding  to  Exeter.  We 
learned  afterwards  that  he  refused  to  sit  in  judg- 
ment upon  the  men  who  had  spared  his  life  j 
whereupon  Cromwell  deprived  him  of  office, 
and  sent  down  a  new  commission  of  oyer  and 
terminer.  There  was  never  any  weakness  of 
sentiment  about  the  Lord  Protector's  dealings. 

"  I  fear  *t  is  a  hanging  matter,"  said  Jacobus  ; 
"  but  whatever  may  befall,  I  shall  ride  down 
and  see  th'  affair  through  to  the  end.  Also 
I  have  a  score  to  settle  with  Captain  Crook. 
What  say  you  ?  Shall  we  take  the  road 
again  ?" 

15  225 


Captain  Jacobus 

"  I  am  with  you,"  said  I. 

It  was  therefore  settled  that  we  should  start 
on  the  morning  of  the  I4th  April,  three  days 
hence,  which  would  allow  four  days'  easy 
travelling  for  the  distance. 

There  are  halcyon  pauses  in  life's  march, 
when  one  steps  aside  out  of  the  dust  into  a  piece 
of  Eden,  and  lets  the  world  go  roaring  by 
a  while  unheeded  ;  when  the  fights  and  follies  of 
the  past  drop  from  us  like  Christian's  pack  o* 
sins  j  when  the  unsure  and  dark  future  is  for- 
gotten. Thus  it  befell  with  us  for  three  sun- 
shiny days  at  the  Beggars'  Chapel.  But  upon 
the  eve  of  my  departure,  having  prepared  my 
equipage  for  the  morrow,  I  sought  Barbara  with 
a  heavy  heart,  leaving  the  Captain  polishing  his 
pistols  and  whistling,  gay  as  a  bird,  — 

"  No  man  sings  a  merrier  note, 

Than  he  that  cannot  change  a  groat," 

chanted  Jacobus  ;  but  I  did  not  think  so. 

I  found  Barbara  a  little  way  in  the  forest, 

where    a   bank,    matted    with    creeping    blue 

flowers,  hove  out  above  a  valley  ;  beyond  the 

tall  trees  on  the  opposite  ridge  the  evening  sky 

226 


A  Question  of  Conscience 

was  painted  in  scarlet  and  gold,  and,  overhead, 
great  rose-colored  clouds  melted  into  the 
blue. 

"Barbara,"  I  said,  "this  will  never  do. 
Alas  !  you  and  I  must  part,  my  dear.  To- 
morrow I  ride  down  to  the  west  (for  I  am  a 
sworn  volunteer)  where  my  life  is  in  jeopardy 
every  hour  ;  and  after  I  must  seek  my  fortune 
overseas  ;  for  I  doubt  not  that  what  the  Cap- 
tain says  is  true,  that,  after  this  outbreak  of  the 
Royalists,  the  Protector  will  put  in  force  the 
most  stringent  and  oppressive  ordinances  against 
the  Cavaliers.  I  will  come  back  to  you  if  I 
live,  my  dear;  but  meanwhile  I  do  not  hold 
you  bound  to  me  by  so  much  as  a  word  ;  y'  are 
free  as  air.  For  I  cannot  ask  you  to  marry 
me." 

I  had  conned  this  speech  with  much  care, 
and  it  pained  me  a  good  deal  to  deliver  it; 
altogether,  I  felt  very  solemn  and  grieved. 
Therefore  I  was  greatly  taken  aback  when  Bar- 
bara laughed  in  my  glum  face. 

"  You  men  think  yourselves  so  mighty  wise 
and  heroical  !  "  said  she.  "  I  would  have  you 
to  know,  sir,  that  I  am  an  heiress,  and  can  marry 
227 


Captain  Jacobus 

whom  I  please.     What  if  I  chose  to  marry  you, 
Mr.  Anthony  Langford  ?  ' ' 

"I  shall  ha  veto  say  you  nay,"  I  said,  turning 
aside.  "  It  would  not  be  fitting.  You  know  I 
could  not  do  't." 

"  Oh,  you  have  the  finest  feelings  in  the 
world,  and  the  most  delicate  scruples,  I  know 
that  very  well,"  retorted  Barbara,  totally  un- 
impressed by  my  dignified  attitude.  *-*  But  sup- 
posing you  were  to  think  of  some  one  beside 
your  noble  self,  sir,  for  once,  — just  for  a 
singular  novelty." 

"Do  I  not?"  said  I. 

"  No,  sir,  you  do  not,"  said  she.  "  Oh,  you 
men  !  For  a  finikin  convention,  a  fantastical 
whim  of  honor,  you  would  sacrifice  not  only 
yourselves,  which  would  be  the  less  important, 
but  others,  no  matter  who  or  what.  How  does 
it  signify  which  of  us  hath  moneys  ?  —  'tis  the 
weariest  commonplace !  Do  you  suppose  a 
woman  sacrifices  nothing  to  take  a  man's  earn- 
ings ?  You  say  we  have  no  notion  of  honor  ; 
well,  at  least  we  own  a  conscience  ;  wherein, 
meseemeth,  we  enjoy  a  somewhat  singular 
advantage." 

228 


A  Question  of  Conscience 

I  knew  not  what  to  answer,  being  torn  asun- 
der and  bewildered. 

"  I  would  not  ask  you  twice,  were  you  the 
Great  Chan  !  "  said  Barbara,  gently,  in  a  little. 

There  was  that  in  her  voice  which  broke 
down  my  resistance.  The  fortress  capitulated  ; 
the  besieger  took  possession  once  and  forever. 

"Listen  to  me,"  said  Barbara,  presently, 
•«  I  have  a  plan.  We  will  go  to  Virginia  and 
buy  an  estate  with  my  dowry.  Make  no  mis- 
take, my  pragmatical  gallant,  you  shall  lead  no 
rose-leaf  existence.  When  we  are  rich,  and 
if  there  be  a  Restoration,  we  will  come  home 
and  live  at  Langford  Manor." 

We  opened  the  matter  that  evening  to  Jacobus, 
the  crafty  in  counsel. 

"  I  think  y'  are  well  advised,"  quoth  our 
Odysseus.  *'  Faith,  I  see  not  what  else  ye  can 
do,  unless  ye  take  to  the  road  like  me.  And 
as  for  that,  I  doubt  if  thou  wouldst  ever  make  a 
great  hand  at  it.  You  will  fight  and  bully 
when  y'  are  stirred  up  to  't ;  but  ye  take  a  most 
prodigious  pole  and  the  devil  of  a  lot  of  stirring. 
The  root  of  the  matter  is  not  in  you.  Ye  do 
not  love  the  hard  living  and  hard  riding,  the 
229 


Captain  Jacobus 

continual  jeopardy,  the  staggering  turns  of  for- 
tune ,  —  when  a  man  may  be  carousing  with  a 
king's  ransom  in  his  pockets  one  day,  and  the 
next  fleeing  for  his  life  like  a  fox.  Why,  look 
you,"  pursued  Jacobus,  warming,  "  y'  are  hunted 
out  of  house  and  land,  and  yet  ye  have  no  lust 
to  hunt  the  hunters.  Y'  are  out  of  law,  ye  have 
naught  to  lose,  and  all  Christendom  lies  open 
before  you,  Roundheads,  fat  with  ill-gotten  gains, 
jogging  to  and  fro  on  every  road,  and  swarming 
in  every  town.  Yet  the  prospect  leaves  you 
cold.  'Tis  incredible.  'Slife,  the  Parliament 
did  to  me  what  the  Protector  hath  done  to  you, 
before  I  was  your  age  ;  and  the  Puritan  crew 
have  been  paying  for't  ever  since,  year  in  and 
year  out,  in  blood  and  gold ;  the  price  is  not 
paid  yet ;  and  so  long  as  I  can  sit  a  horse,  I  go 
a-questing  to  fill  up  the  measure  that  is  never 
filled.  Ay,  did  my  own  mother  stand  in  the 
way,  I  would  ride  over  her  face  !  " 

He  gnawed  his  mustachios  and  fell  silent.  I 
had  never  seen  him  so  moved  ;  doubtless  my 
case  had  brought  the  remembrance  of  his  own 
wrongs  freshly  to  mind,  when  he  lost  more  than 
house  and  lands.  Barbara  looked  across  in  the 
230 


A  Question  of  Conscience 

firelight,  at  the  dark,  lined  visage ;  Jacobus 
caught  her  glance,  his  face  changed,  and  pres- 
ently we  fell  to  discussing  how  our  project 
might  best  be  effected.  It  was  finally  arranged 
that  Barbara  (whom  her  father  had  appointed  to 
fetch  in  the  morning)  should  return  to  Salisbury 
to  make  her  preparations,  while  we  rode  to  Exe- 
ter ;  thence,  as  it  was  unsafe  to  show  our  faces 
in  Salisbury,  we  were  to  ride  to  the  village  of 
Over  Wallop  in  Hampshire,  which  lay  on  the 
road  from  Salisbury  to  Southampton,  where  Mrs. 
Mariabellah  Curie  dwelt  with  Mrs.  Beatrice  and 
Dean  Young.  There  Barbara  and  Mr.  Phelps 
would  meet  us ;  the  Dean  should  perform  the 
marriage ;  and  after  we  would  travel  to  South- 
ampton and  take  ship  thence  to  Virginia. 

"  But  will  Mr.  Phelps  agree  to  this  pretty 
scheme  ?  "  I  asked  Barbara. 

"Do  you  think  I  cannot  manage  my  own 
father  ?  "  quoth  she.  "  Besides,  he  will  marry 
again,  so  soon  as  I  am  gone,  and  I  shall  not  be 
missed.  He  hath  had  a  very  fine  woman  in 
his  eye  (to  use  his  own  phrase)  this  ever  so 
long." 

So,  while  the  most  of  my  fellow-Cavaliers  lay 
231 


Captain  Jacobus 

bound  in  prison  in  fear  of  death,  and  a  hundred 
families  were  suffering  the  cruel  torture  of  sus- 
pense, destiny  seemed  shaping  my  way  to  happi- 
ness supreme.  But  the  shadow  of  others' 
misfortunes  darkened  my  own  fair  prospects ; 
why  should  some  be  taken  and  others  left  ?  and 
that  which  befell  them  might  befall  us,  some 
day. 

"  Y*  have  won  a  most  admirable  lass,  boy," 
quoth  the  Captain,  when  Barbara  had  gone  to 
bed.  "  A  most  sweet  and  praiseworthy  wench, 
Anthony,"  said  he,  shaking  his  head. 

That  was  true  ;  and  after  all,  what  did  the 
rest  matter  ? 


232 


XVI 

THE   EIGHTEENTH   OF   APRIL 

A  STROLOGERS  have  told  us  that  the  des- 
-1A.  tinies  of  man  are  interwoven  with  the  course 
of  the  stars  ;  a  thing  at  once  difficult  to  believe 
and  hard  to  disbelieve.  Certainly  there  have  been 
fateful  times  and  days,  whose  recurrence  has 
been  rare  as  the  slow  unalterable  revolution  of 
the  zodiac.  Even  Cromwell  himself,  who  was 
so  firmly  persuaded  (in  his  more  perfervid 
moments)  that  he  was  no  more  than  the  tool  of 
a  lively  and  interfering  Providence,  wrought  all 
his  greatest  deeds  on  his  lucky  date  of  the  third 
September ;  whereon  also  he  was  born,  and 
whereon  he  died. 

In  the  same  manner,  it  seemed  to  me  that  the 
eighteenth  of  April  was  certainly  charged  with 
evil  significations.  'T  was  the  date  King  Charles 
had  first  fixed  for  the  Penruddock  rising  ;  and 
his  messenger,  baffled  by  wind  and  wave,  only 
233 


Captain  Jacobus 

arrived  in  time  to  disorder  all  arrangements. 
Now,  upon  that  very  day,  the  leader  of  the 
insurrection  and  the  most  of  his  party  were  put 
on  trial  of  their  life.  And  in  my  own  case,  no 
sooner  had  my  wedding  been  devised  for  the 
same  day,  than  dire  misfortune  fell  upon  me  ; 
and  at  the  time  I  should  have  stood  at  the  altar 
rails  (I  scarce  could  think  of  it)  there  was  I 
wedged  cheek  by  jowl  with  that  wild  freebooter 
Jacobus,  in  the  dense  crowd  that  packed  to 
bursting  the  Guildhall  at  Exeter. 

The  Guildhall  was  an  arched  chamber,  great 
and  wide ;  the  brackets  at  the  springing  of  the 
arches  were  carved  into  caryatides  from  the 
bestiaries  ;  and  at  intervals  along  the  cornice 
were  stuck  painted  armorial  shields.  Across  the 
upper  end  ran  the  dais,  where  Judge  Nicholas, 
in  scarlet  and  ermine,  sat  in  his  great  chair  to 
judge  the  men  who  had  but  yesterday  spared  his 
life  (for  Nicholas  had  been  the  fellow  of  Chief 
Justice  Rolles  at  Salisbury);  on  either  side  of 
him  were  seated  some  gentlemen  of  the  county, 
among  whom  was  Steel  the  Recorder.  Below, 
upon  the  Counsels'  benches,  between  the  dais 
and  the  prisoners'  dock,  sat  Attorney- General 
234 


The  Eighteenth  of  April 

Prideaux  and  Sergeant  Glyn.  In  the  dock  stood 
Sir  John  Penruddock  and  twenty  or  thirty  of  his 
following,  among  whom  I  recognized  some  of 
my  own  men,  laborers  on  my  estate. 

The  commission  of  oyer  and  terminer  having 
been  read,  and  the  usual  formalities  concluded, 
the  Attorney- General  stood  up  to  read  the  in- 
dictment of  high  treason.  The  prisoners  were 
then  asked  to  plead  guilty  or  not  guilty.  Where- 
upon Penruddock,  who  was  spokesman  through- 
out, disputed  the  legality  of  the  indictment 
itself,  and  demanded  counsel  to  conduct  his 
case.  This  request  was  refused  him,  and  he 
was  again  required  to  plead,  on  pain  of  having 
sentence  passed  then  and  there.  "If  I  plead, 
shall  I  have  counsel  allowed  me  ? ' '  asked  Penrud- 
dock. «« The  Court  makes  no  bargains,"  returned 
the  Attorney- General.  The  rest  of  the  prison- 
ers here  persuaded  Penruddock  to  plead  not 
guilty,  which  he  did,  and  again  demanded 
counsel,  which  was  again  refused  him. 

"  Sir,"  said  Penruddock,  "  durus  est  bic  sermo, 
't  is  no  more  than  I  expected  from  you  ;  but 
rather  than  I  will  be  taken  off  unheard,  I  will 
make  my  own  defence  as  well  as  I  can." 
235 


Captain  Jacobus 

We  also  had  come  with  sad  enough  expecta- 
tions ;  they  began  to  be  confirmed  ;  and  thence- 
forward, throughout  the  whole  five  hours  occu- 
pied by  the  trial,  we  endured  the  spectacle  of  a 
brave  man  foredoomed,  but  fighting  to  the 
last. 

The  jurors  were  then  called  ;  there  were  five- 
and-thirty  of  them,  out  of  whom  Penruddock 
challenged  twenty-four.  Thus  the  jury  entered 
their  gallery  a  man  short ;  and  it  was  character- 
istic of  the  whole  proceedings  that  the  irregularity 
was  considered  too  trifling  to  remark  upon.  All 
the  prisoners  except  Penruddock  were  then 
marched  out,  leaving  the  Colonel  to  take  his  trial 
alone.  The  jurors  being  sworn,  the  indictment 
was  read  out  once  more,  and  Penruddock  was 
asked  if  he  had  any  exception  to  make,  where- 
upon he  repeated  his  former  plea,  that  the  prose- 
cution was  illegal  in  toto  composito.  This  was  his 
impregnable  defence  throughout ;  just  as  his  sacred 
Majesty  Charles  First  confronted  the  regicides 
with  the  unanswerable  proposition  that  there 
was  no  law  in  existence  under  which  he,  the 
King,  might  be  arraigned.  "  There  can  be  no 
treason  against  a  Protector,"  said  Penruddock. 
236 


The  Eighteenth  of  April 

The  validity  of  the  plea  was  again  denied  by 
Recorder  Steel,  who  was  moved  by  sheer  malice 
to  take  part  in  the  case,  for  his  legal  status  did 
not  entitle  him  to  address  the  prisoner ;  and 
Sergeant  Glyn,  a  tall,  sharped-faced  man  with 
slanting  eyebrows,  rose  and  said  :  "  Sir,  you  are 
peremptory  ;  you  strike  at  the  government ;  you 
will  fare  never  a  whit  the  better  for  this  speech. 
Speak  as  to  any  particular  exception  you  have  to 
this  indictment." 

Penruddock  replied  that  the  enactments  con- 
cerning high  treason  referred  to  the  King,  for 
whom,  and  not  against  whom,  he  had  acted ; 
if  there  were  any  statute  authorizing  his  indict- 
ment, he  requested  to  have  it  read.  The  At- 
torney-General answered  that  Penruddock  had 
not  behaved  himself  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
incline  the  Court  to  grant  favors.  At  that, 
Penruddock  demanded  it  as  his  right,  and  upon 
this  being  refused  him,  renewed  his  request  on 
behalf  of  the  jury. 

«« Sir,  the  jury  ought  to  be  satisfied  with  what 
hath  been  already  said,  and  so  might  you  too," 
said  the  Attorney- General. 

««  Sir,  I  thank  you,"  returned  Penruddock, 
237 


Captain  Jacobus 

"you  now  tell  what  I  must  trust  to ;  "  and, 
indeed,  it  was  plain  enough. 

The  Attorney-General,  a  dark,  bullying 
fellow,  with  a  red  curved  nose,  then  made  a 
large  speech,  aggravating  the  offence,  falsely 
stating  that  Penruddock  had  been  four  years  in 
France,  when  he  held  a  correspondency  with 
the  King  his  master,  whom  Mr.  Prideaux  sacri- 
legiously described  as  a  debauched,  lewd  young 
man  ;  that  Penruddock  had  endeavored  to  en- 
gage the  nation  in  another  bloody  war ;  and 
that  if  he  had  not  been  timely  prevented,  he  had 
thus  destroyed  the  jurors  and  their  whole  fami- 
lies. At  this  point  the  prisoner  interrupted  the 
glib  counsel  for  the  government. 

"  Mr.  Attorney,"  said  he,  "  you  have  been 
heretofore  of  counsel  for  me ;  you  then  made 
my  case  better  than  indeed  it  was  j  I  see  you 
have  the  faculty  to  make  men  to  believe  falsehoods 
to  be  truth  too." 

"  Sir,"  retorted  Prideaux,  truculently,  "you 
interrupt  me  ;  you  said  but  now  you  were  a 
gentleman  ! ' ' 

"  I  have  been  thought  worthy  heretofore  to 
sit  on  the  bench,  though  now  I  am  at  the  bar," 
238 


The  Eighteenth  of  April 

returned  Penruddock,  and  allowed  the  Attor- 
ney-General to  complete  his  bitter,  nonsensical 
speech,  and  to  call  witnesses. 

Then  Penruddock  spoke  again.  "  Sir,  you 
have  put  me  in  a  bear's  skin,  now  you  will  bait 
me  with  a  witness."  He  turned  half  round, 
scanning  the  faces  of  the  silent  crowd  in  the 
body  of  the  Court ;  then,  raising  his  arm  with  a 
sudden,  imperious  gesture,  Penruddock  cried  out 
in  a  great  voice  :  "  But  I  see  the  face  of  a  gen- 
tleman here  in  Court  —  I  mean  Captain  Crook 
—  whose  conscience  can  tell  him,  that  I  had 
articles  from  him  which  ought  to  have  kept  me 
from  hence  !  " 

A  little  to  the  left  of  where  we  were  sitting, 
Crook  rose  in  his  place  ;  a  huge,  heavy-shouldered 
black-avized  man  ;  his  face  went  the  color  of 
clay,  and  his  glass-green  eyes  glistened  like  a 
cat's  eyes  in  the  dark,  as  he  stared  at  his  accuser. 
Every  head  craned  to  look  at  him ;  there  was  a 
rustle  and  motion  as  those  behind  stood  up, 
then,  for  a  full  minute,  a  breathing  silence. 
Penruddock  leaned  back  against  the  rail  of  the 
dock,  his  dark  face  frowning  and  smiling  at  the 
forsworn  captain  of  dragoons,  who  stood  dumb 
239 


Captain  Jacobus 

as  a  beast  before  him.  Twice  Crook  essayed 
to  speak;  then  he  put  his  hand  to  his  throat 
and  sat  down  without  uttering  a  word.  A 
murmur  went  up  from  the  people,  as  Penrud- 
dock  turned  his  shoulder  and  looked  at  Judge 
Nicholas.  He  had  won  his  case  in  that  mo- 
ment, had  not  the  jury  been  packed,  and  had 
not  Cromwell  sent  down  his  lawyers  with 
orders  to  hang  the  malignants.  But  the  craven 
judge  held  down  his  head  over  his  notes  ;  when 
Penruddock  appealed  to  him  he  answered  never 
a  word.  'Twas  a  pitiful  exhibition;  a  straw 
mammet  would  have  administered  as  much 
justice,  with  infinitely  more  dignity. 

Jacobus  at  my  side  crossed  over  his  right 
hand  and  clasped  the  hilt  of  his  rapier,  bowing 
forward  a  moment ;  then  he  sat  upright  again 
with  a  composed  countenance.  Some  days 
afterwards  I  asked  him  what  it  was  he  did  ;  and 
Jacobus  told  me  that  he  then  took  an  oath  upon 
the  holy  Iron,  swearing  by  God  and  the  Mother 
of  God  to  slay  Crook  before  the  week  was  out. 
Most  persons,  I  suppose,  would  have  been  con- 
tent to  make  a  quiet  resolution  to  cut  the  Cap- 
tain's throat  at  a  good  opportunity  without  this 
240 


The  Eighteenth  of  April 

splendid  formality  ;  but  Jacobus  liked  to  order 
his  little  affairs  with  all  the  pomp  obtainable. 

The  Attorney-General  then  called,  as  witness, 
Dove,  the  lachrymose  Sheriff  of  Salisbury,  who 
did  no  more  than  complain  that  Penruddock's 
men  had  handled  him  with  violence,  one  of 
them  "  running  him  through  the  side  with  a  cara- 
bine "  —  an  impossible  feat.  Other  witnesses 
having  been  called,  some  of  whose  evidence 
went  against  the  prosecution,  proving  that  Pen- 
ruddock,  besides  proclaiming  the  King,  had  like- 
wise proclaimed  the  Protestant  religion  and  privi- 
lege of  Parliament,  the  Attorney-General  made 
a  second  speech,  in  which  he  directed  the  jury 
to  bring  in  the  prisoner  guilty. 

Penruddock  then  began  to  address  the  jury  in 
his  own  defence  ;  if  Captain  Crook,  said  he, 
had  never  promised  him  pardon  in  exchange  for 
his  surrender  (upon  which  supposition  the 
Court  was  proceeding),  why  had  Crook,  in 
Penruddock's  presence,  recounted  the  circum- 
stance to  his  commanding  officer,  Major  Butler 
of  Salisbury,  adding  that  he  had  refused  money 
offered  him  by  Penruddock  to  fulfil  his  condi- 
tions. For  Penruddock,  finding  Captain  Crook 
16  241 


Captain  Jacobus 

unsteadfast  and  mercenary,  had  proffered  him  a 
bribe  of  five  hundred  pounds,  which  was  doubt- 
less what  Crook  had  at  first  intended  he  should 
do,  but,  in  the  event,  found  it  more  profitable  to 
forego.  Immediately  upon  his  refusal,  some  of 
the  troopers,  having  gotten  wind  of  the  affair, 
mutinied,  and  were  disbanded  "  for  defending 
these  conditions  of  ours,"  said  Penruddock. 
"  But  let  that  pass,  and  henceforward,  instead  of 
life,  liberty,  and  estate,  which  were  the  articles 
agreed  upon,  let  drawing,  hanging,  and  quarter- 
ing bear  the  denomination  of  Captain  Crook's 
articles  !  " 

There  was  a  brief  noise  of  applause  at  the 
back  of  the  Court ;  and,  turning,  we  perceived 
it  arose  from  a  knot  of  red-coated  troopers  ; 
doubtless  the  honest  soldiers  in  question.  Pen- 
ruddock  then  went  on  to  enlarge  upon  his  origi- 
nal plea  with  an  excellent  eloquence. 

"  There  can  be  no  treason  but  against  the 
King  ;  the  law  knows  no  such  person  as  a  Pro- 
tector. .  .  .  Gentlemen,  look  upon  me,  I  am 
the  image  of  my  Creator,  and  that  stamp  of  His 
which  is  my  visage  is  not  to  be  defaced,  with- 
out an  account  given,  wherefore  it  was.  .  .  . 
242 


The  Eighteenth  of  April 

The  law  which  I  am  now  tried  by  is  no  law 
but  what  is  cut  out  by  the  point  of  a  rebellious 
sword  j  and  the  sheets  in  which  they  are  re- 
corded, being  varnished  with  the  moisture  of 
an  eloquent  tongue,  if  you  look  not  well  to  't, 
may  chance  to  serve  for  some  of  your  shrouds. 
.  .  .  You  can  at  most  make  but  a  riot  of 
this,"  he  concluded.  "  Consider  of  it,  and  the 
Lord  direct  you  for  the  best." 

The  jury  then  left  the  Court ;  soon  after 
they  were  gone,  the  great  clock  of  the  Cathedral 
chimed  three-quarters  past  four,  and,  after  an 
interval  incredibly  tedious,  they  entered  again  as 
it  tolled  five,  and  gave  the  verdict,  guilty. 

"  The  Lord  forgive  you,"  said  Sir  John 
Penruddock,  solemnly,  "for  you  know  not 
what  you  do." 

The  mockery  was  over  ;  all  rose  to  leave 
the  Court.  It  is  a  matter  of  history  how  that 
on  the  Monday  following,  Sergeant  Glyn  sen- 
tenced almost  all  the  prisoners  to  death  ;  that 
some  were  afterwards  reprieved  and  sold  in  Bar- 
badoes,  while  three  or  four  were  acquitted  ;  and 
how  Sir  John  Penruddock  and  Sir  Hugh  Grove 
were  beheaded  at  Exeter  on  May  i6th 
following.  243 


Captain  Jacobus 

Jacobus  and  I  pressed  through  the  dispersing 
crowd,  and  about  half-way  down  the  High  Street 
fell  into  step  one  on  either  side  of  Captain 
Crook.  Jacobus  rounded  him  in  the  ear. 

"  Crook,  y'  are  a  damned  villain,"  said  he, 
in  a  low  voice.  "  Do  not  raise  your  voice  nor 
attempt  to  escape,  or  we  will  stab  you  out  of 
hand.  I  challenge  you  to  a  fair  duello.  I  have 
no  time  for  punctilios  and  preliminaries,  nor,  I 
take  leave  to  say,  are  you  so  much  the  gentleman 
as  to  stand  upon  so  much  ceremony.  Settle  your 
weapons  here  and  now,  and  appoint  a  place  of 
meeting  for  to-night  or  to-morrow  betimes." 

Crook  turned  a  dusky  visage  quickly  upon  us 
in  turn  ;  but,  perceiving  that  resistance  was  dan- 
gerous, he  merely  quickened  his  pace. 

"What  the  devil  is  this  insolence?"  he 
demanded.  "And  who  are  ye  ?" 

"That  is  nothing  to  the  purpose,"  quoth 
Jacobus.  "  'T  is  sufficient  for  you  to  know 
that  I  am  a  man  that  hath  taken  a  fancy  to  fight 
you,  will-ye,  nill-ye." 

"  Am  T  to  take  up  the  quarrel  of  every  com- 
mon stabber  ?     I  would  have  you  to  know  I 
fight  but  with  gentlemen,  sir,"  said  Crook. 
244 


The  Eighteenth  of  April 

"  Y*  are  but  a  poor  liar,"  returned  Jacobus. 
"  Ye  trepan  honest  gentlemen  to  their  death 
with  your  bloody  treacheries  and  false  Articles. 
Y'  are  more  forsworn  than  any  pitiful  shilling 
perjurer  at  Westminster,  Crook  of  Woodstock. 
Come,  sirrah,  I  have  no  time  to  waste  upon 
such  dogs  as  you  !  Where  shall  I  soil  my  sword 
with  your  vitals  ?  What  spot  of  earth  shall  I 
defile  with  your  blood  ?  " 

The  man  was  quivering  with  rage  ;  but  it 
would  have  required  a  brave  man  to  free  himself 
from  two  such  assailants  :  and  Crook,  I  take  it, 
was  a  coward  in  grain. 

"I  will  not  answer  you,"  said  he,  with  a 
great  assumption  of  dignity.  "  Ye  may  send 
me  a  cartel  and  ye  will,  as  one  gentleman  to 
another,  to  my  quarters  at  Rougemont  yonder ; 
or  ye  two  foot-pads  may  come  seek  me,  and  since 
y'  are  so  fain,  ye  may  try  conclusions  with  the 
whole  corporal's  guard.  'T  is  my  last  word." 

"Why,  very  well,"  returned  Jacobus,  indif- 
ferently. "  Go  and  hide  in  thy  Castle.  'T  is 
pity  your  great  general  Fairfax  broke  the  port- 
cullis in  his  godly  zeal ;  you  should  ha'  slept 
the  sounder  else." 

245 


Captain  Jacobus 

We  had  reached  the  foot  of  the  long  hill  at 
the  top  of  which  stands  the  ruined  Castle  of 
Rougemont,  where,  however,  there  was  still 
accommodation  for  Captain  Crook  and  a  corpo- 
ral's guard.  Jacobus  stopped,  whereupon  Crook 
set  off  at  a  very  lively  pace  of  walk.  We 
walked  slowly  across  the  road  to  a  side  street  ; 
but  no  sooner  were  we  round  the  corner  than 
we  ran  like  hares,  doubling  and  twisting  back 
to  our  inn.  "For,"  said  Jacobus,  "  no  sooner 
is  our  gentleman  in  his  Castle  than  he  will  send 
his  soldadoes  to  catch  us."  But  if  he  did,  we 
saw  nothing  of  them. 

"Ye  will  ride  to-morrow  betimes,  of  course, 
Anthony,"  said  Jacobus,  as  we  sat  gloomily 
over  our  wine  that  evening.  "  There  is  no 
more  for  you  to  do  here. .  The  play  is  played 
out." 

"Why,  what  are.  you  going  to  do?"  I 
inquired. 

"I  have  my  affair  with  Crook  to  settle," 
replied  Jacobus.  "  But  that  is  a  piece  of  busi- 
ness I  can  best  perform  alone." 

"  For  how  many  men  do  you  take  yourself?  " 
I  said.  "  Crook  will  never  go  out  wanting 
246 


The  Eighteenth  of  April 

half-a-dozen  dragoons  at  his  heels.  Are  you 
going  to  carry  Rougemont  Castle  by  yourself?  " 

Jacobus  was  plainly  nonplussed  ;  and  for  my 
part,  I  could  not  imagine  how  the  two  of  us 
were  to  accomplish  his  purpose,  much  less  how 
he  could  perform  it  by  himself;  for  that  Crook 
would  not  fight  was  certain. 

"For  God's  sake,"  cried  Jacobus,  angrily, 
"  go  and  get  married,  and  leave  me  to  mind  my 
business." 

"If  I  have  a  mind  to  stay  in  this  city,"  I 
returned,  "  it  is  not  you  who  shall  hinder  me. 
I  take  an  interest  in  its  scenery  and  the  curiosi- 
ties. Come  !  I  am  not  going.  Now  we  can 
debate  with  a  quiet  mind.  It  appears  to  me 
that  y*  have  proposed  the  impossible.  But  I 
raise  no  exceptions,  not  I." 

The  Captain  looked  at  me  from  under  his 
brows,  pulled  his  mustachios,  and  relapsed  into 
silence. 

"Without  a  mighty  hard  push  for 't,  we 
shall  be  no  more  than  accessory  to  our  own 
ruin,"  he  went  on,  presently.  "After  the 
mortification  we  put  upon  the  excellent  Crook, 
he  will  be  raising  the  devil's  own  hue-and-cry 
247 


Captain  Jacobus 

after  us  ;  the  town  constable  will  be  set  upon 
our  track  ;  and  Crook  himself,  belike,  is  even 
now  searching  the  streets  with  a  lantern,  like 
the  heathen  philosopher  of  the  ancients,  and 
with  a  handful  of  dragoons  to  help  him.  We 
are  caught  in  a  trap  ;  't  is  two  against  a  city  ;  and 
the  odds  strike  me  as  cruel  disproportionate." 

"  Well,  we  have  no  time  to  recruit  a  regi- 
ment," I  said.  "  Before  the  bottle  is  out, 
Crook  may  be  bursting  the  doors  upon  us," 
and  an  ugly  presage  flitted  across  my  mind.  I 
saw  the  row  of  the  condemned  on  Tyburn 
Hill,  writhing  in  the  noose ;  while  the  hang- 
man, aloft  on  the  crossbar,  stamped  on  their 
shoulders,  until,  one  by  one,  they  dangled 
motionless  and  limp. 

"  I  could  do  with  less  than  a  regiment,"  said 
Jacobus.  ««  Give  me  but  a  file  of  Haslerigg's 
Lobsters,  or  Lunsford's  Horse,  and  I  would 
sweep  the  streets  with  Crook's  dragoons,  'twixt 
prime  and  noonsong.  By  God,"  he  cried, 
slapping  his  hand  on  the  table,  "  I  have  it  ! 
The  disbanded  troopers  !  Y*  heard  what  Pen- 
ruddock  said  in  Court." 

"What  then?"  I  asked;  and  Jacobus  pro- 
248 


The  Eighteenth  of  April 

ceeded  to  expound  a  project ;  't  was  but  a  des- 
perate chance  ;  but  we  were  driven  to  such  a 
pinch,  that  we  took  speedy  resolution  upon  it. 

"Once  more,  Anthony,"  said  Jacobus,  ris- 
ing to  buckle  on  sword  and  pistols,  ««  I  ask  you, 
a'  God's  name,  to  take  horse  and  get  you 
gone.  Y'  are  merely  foolish  to  remain  ;  't  is 
no  more  than  the  indulgence  of  a  freak,  when 
all's  said.  As  for  vengeance,  until  Noll  and 
the  regicides  are  drawn  quick  and  hanged,  there 
can  be  no  useful  vengeance.  For  me,  I  set  not 
my  life  at  a  groat's  value,  save  for  the  pleasur- 
able excitement  of  risking  it.  But  here  are  you, 
with  a  sweetheart  awaiting  you,  and  a  long  life 
afore  ye ;  't  is  murdering  posterity  to  fling  it 
away.  And  conceive  with  what  face  I  should 
carry  tidings  of  your  death  to  fair  Mrs.  Bar- 
bara !  No,  no,  take  horse  and  be  wise, 
Anthony." 

"  Were  she  here,  she  would  bid  me  go  with 
you,"  I  answered. 

'« I  would  not  make  too  sure  of  that,  neither," 
said  Jacobus,    with   a  grin ;  and    although    my 
sentiment    had   the  right  sound    to 't,    upon   a 
second  consideration,  I  had  my  doubts  also. 
249 


Captain  Jacobus 

"  Well,  I  am  not  going,  at  any  rate,  as  I 
said  before,"  quoth  I. 

The  Captain,  seeing  that  my  mind  was  set, 
desisted  from  further  argument ;  and,  armed  and 
muffled,  we  set  forth  to  discover  the  disbanded 
troopers. 


250 


XVII 
THE  LAST  NOTCH  ON  THE  SCORE 

WE  must  have  visited  a  round  dozen  of 
alehouses  without  finding  the  men  we 
sought ;  passing  from  the  windy  and  dark  streets 
into  the  bright  tap-rooms  where  a  crew  of  me- 
chanics and  'prentices  loudly  debated  the  day's 
events  over  pipe  and  ale-cup.  The  tavern  talk 
ran  always  down  the  same  gutter  ;  hatred  of  the 
Protector's  bloody  Army,  and  the  Protector's 
bloody  scriveners  ;  and  at  the  same  time,  con- 
demnation of  Penruddock  for  attempting  to  up- 
set the  orderly  state  of  the  country,  under  which 
trade  so  prospered. 

"The  cowardly  shop-folk,"  said  Jacobus, 
"  they  would  see  every  yeoman  and  gentleman 
in  the  country  put  to  death  before  they  stirred 
a  finger,  unless  their  money-bags  were  in  danger. 
Comes  me  your  Puritan,  with  pike  and  shot, 
bellowing  religion ;  and  straightway,  by  your 
251 


Captain  Jacobus 

leave,  they  are  all  good  Puritans ;  and  you  shall 
see,  when  the  King  returns,  they  will  be  light- 
ing bonfires  in  every  street  for  pure  joy  ;  and 
Geneva  gown  and  bands  may  pack  to  sour 
Scotland,  where  they  be  ever  welcome." 

As  he  spoke,  we  entered  an  alehouse  in  a  by- 
street, and  spying  through  an  open  door  that 
led  from  the  tap-room  into  a  little  parlor  beyond 
a  group  of  men  in  scarlet  seated  round  a  table, 
we  went  in  upon  them. 

Sure  enough,  there  were  three  of  the  troop- 
ers we  had  observed  in  the  Court-house :  one, 
a  great  ox  of  a  man,  with  a  brick-red  counte- 
nance, purple-jowled  with  shaving ;  another, 
stalwart  and  long-limbed,  with  a  dark  eye  as 
alert  as  a  fowl's  ;  and  the  third,  a  lean  man 
with  a  great  hooked  nose,  a  brown  goat' s-beard, 
and  something  of  a  fanatical  air. 

"God  save  you  and  all  of  us,"  said  Jacobus. 
"Are  ye  of  Captain  Crook's  company  —  mine 
old  acquaintance,  Bully  Crook?" 

The   Captain  spoke   with  a  kind  of  patient 

heartiness  ;  he  had  assumed,  in  a  twinkling,  the 

voice  and  manner  proper  to  the  part  he  was  to 

play,  —  that  of  a  peaceable,  quiet,  country  gen tle- 

252 


The  Last  Notch  on  the  Score 

man  living  for  his  crops  and  his  beeves,  yet 
meekly  willing,  at  a  word,  to  sacrifice  all  for 
friendship's  sake. 

"Once  upon  a  time,  but  now  no  longer  so," 
quoth  the  big  trooper,  in  deep,  rumbling  tones, 
slapping  his  pewter  ale-pot  upside  down. 

"What!"  cried  Jacobus,  lighting  up  like  a 
candle.  "Are  ye  then  among  those  noble 
hearts  of  whom  Sir  John  Penruddock  did  speak 
in  Court  to-day  ?  who  for  conscience'  sake,  did 
risk  a  halter  ;  who  rather  chose  the  reproach  of 
Egypt  than  the  praise  of  iniquity  ?  " 

"That  was  it,"  said  the  dark-eyed  man,  in 
a  dry  voice,  looking  at  us  with  a  face  of  wood. 

"  Landlord  !  ' '  cried  Jacobus,  kindling  into  a 
sort  of  gentle  ecstasy,  "  a  jack  of  ale  for  these 
gentlemen.  I  am  proud  to  make  your  acquain- 
tance, friends  ;  I  would  have  you  to  shake  my 
hand.  Right  so  !  when  I  said  damned  Crook 
was  mine  acquaintance,  you  must  not  take  it  he 
was  ever  my  friend.  No,  no.  For,  truly,  he 
is  mine  enemy.  See  now,  sirs,  what  a  fortu- 
nate conjunction  is  here  !  Behold  how  the 
hand  of  God  bringeth  honest  men  together  at  a 
pinch  !  Although  I  am  of  the  contrary  party,  I 
253 


Captain  Jacobus 

say  so ;  y*  are  honest  men,  and  I  care  not  to 
cloak  my  principles ;  for  I,  have  I  not  gotten 
me  religion  ?  The  King,  say  I,  for  God  surely 
made  him  ;  but  Bishops,  away  with  them  ! 
Give  me  your  Bishop,  and  I  will  spit  in  his 
face.  But  let  that  pass.  What  have  I  to  do 
with  Crook,  or  he  with  me,  saith  'a  ?  Why 
now,  I  will  tell  you.  Heard  ye  what  Penrud- 
dock  said  in  his  speech,  how  that  Crook,  after 
refusing  moneys  proffered  him  to  carry  out  his 
articles,  put  a  pistol  to  Penruddock's  head  and 
threatened  to  shoot  him,  did  not  the  noble  Colo- 
nel promise  to  betray  a  certain  Royalist  into 
his  clutches  ?  But  noble  Sir  John  stood  fast ; 
and  word  was  brought  to  me  of  the  incident  — 
for  I  was  the  Royalist  in  question,  friends  all ; 
and  for  that  I  am  well-to-do,  did  Crook  covet 
to  get  me  in  his  clutches.  Ay,  I  have  moneys  ; 
the  Lord  hath  prospered  me  :  why  should  I 
deny  it  ?  "  And  Jacobus,  with  a  simple,  smil- 
ing, open  countenance,  slapped  his  pockets  till 
the  coins  jingled.  The  men  had  taken  their 
pipes  in  their  hands  and  were  regarding  him  with 
grave  attention. 

"  And  what  dost  here,  sir,  in  the  very  tents 
254 


The  Last  Notch  on  the  Score 

o'  the  Amalekites,  as  a  man  may  say  ?  "  growled 
the  big  trooper. 

"Canst    ask?"    returned   Jacobus,    "when 
mine  old  friend  and  comrade  John  Penruddock 
standeth   in   peril    of   his    life,"    the  Captain's 
voice  declined  upon  a  sob,  and  he  brushed  his 
sleeve  across  his  eyes.    "  'T  is  but  little  I  may  do, 
belike  ;  but  here  I  stand  upon  the  chance  of  it,  in 
spite    of  the  devil    Crook.       He   did  espy  me 
to-day,  and  would  have  taken  and  laid  me  in 
ward,  but  that  he  had  no  soldiers  with  him  j 
yet  he  threatened  me,  and  meseemeth  'tis  very 
like  I   shall  presently  figure  in  the  dock,  cheek 
by  jowl  with  the  rebels,  —  I,  John  Blechynder, 
than  whom  the  Lord   Protector  hath  no  more 
peaceable  subject,  —  and  my  nephew  here  beside 
me,  —  "  Jacobus  put  his  hand  on  my  shoulder 
—  '*  in  the  very  blossom  and  May-day  of  his 
youth,  —  all  that  Crook  may  dip  his  dirty  hand  in 
my  coffers.      For  we  will  not  leave  poor  Pen- 
ruddock    while    we  may  render  him  the  least 
particle  of  service.      What  !     Are  we  not  his 
friends  ?     Hath    he    not  hazarded    his    life    for 
us?"   and  a   freshet   of  emotion   again    over- 
whelmed this  noble  spirit. 
255 


Captain  Jacobus 

The  troopers  seemed  somewhat  at  a  loss ; 
they  stared  at  us  in  silence  ;  when  the  big 
trooper's  glance,  wandering  for  a  moment,  lit  on 
the  black-jack,  and,  filling  his  cup  from  it,  he 
passed  it  on. 

"Your  excellent  good  health,  sirs,"  said 
he  ;  the  others  followed  him,  and  we  drank  to 
them  in  turn  ;  after  which  we  seemed  to  stand 
upon  a  better  footing  of  understanding. 

"  Had  I  but  half-a-score  tall  men  such  as 
you  at  my  back,"  quoth  Jacobus,  "I  would 
not  care  for  vermin  such  as  Crook  that  much," 
and  he  snapped  his  fingers  and  leaned  back, 
smiling. 

The  three  men  exchanged  glances ;  and  the 
fanatic-looking  trooper  clasped  his  bony  hands 
loosely  before  him  on  the  table,  opened  wide 
his  great  pale-blue  eyes,  and,  gazing  into  vacancy, 
began  to  speak.  His  comrades  watched  him 
with  an  evident  admiration. 

"  For  lifting  ourselves  into  your  service,  sir, 
to  deal  plainly  with  you,  ft  is  mainly  a  matter 
of  wages.  Doth  God  take  care  for  oxen  ?  Yea, 
truly,  as  saith  Holy  Writ ;  yet  until  His  king- 
dom on  earth  be  established,  His  saints  must 
256 


The  Last  Notch  on  the  Score 

still   shift   for  themselves.     For  that  you  look 
for  a  king,   excellent  sir,  f  are  so  far  in   the 
right,  so  do  we  ;  y'  are  but  wrong  in  that  ye 
fix  your  hopes  on  the  Young  Man  Charles,  who 
is    but   a   lewd    person,   a    notorious  evil-liver, 
whom  may  God  confound.     Yea,  verily,  there 
is  but  one  Reign  to  look  for,  —  the  Reign  of  the 
saints  on  earth,  the  thousand  years  of  triumph, 
the  Fifth  Monarchy,  the  absolute  dominion   of 
God  !  "     He  spread  his  arms  abroad  and  his 
voice  rose.      «  Pope  and  kaiser,  priest  and  king, 
shall  bow  down,  bow  down,  shall  crouch  and 
fawn    beneath   the    iron  rod.      Corruption  and 
darkness  shall  flee  away,  and  the  whole  earth 
shall   be  clothed   in   the  light  of  the  morning. 
The  noise  of  wars  shall  be  utterly  silenced,  and 
the    crying    of  the    poor    and    needy    be    no 
more  heard  in  the  land.     The  strongholds  and 
high  places  of  cruelty  shall  be  laid  even  with 
the   dust,   and  grass  shall  grow  upon  their  bat- 
tlements.     To    bring  these  things  to  pass   we 
labor    mightily :   we   take    the    sword ;  we  lie 
dogging  at  our  prayers  until  our  eyes  be  dim  ; 
we  serve  mammon  for  righteousness'  sake.     Yea, 
for  this  did  we  not  choose  to  serve  under  Crook ; 
17  257 


Captain  Jacobus 

and  did  he  not  cajole  us  with  lying  promises, 
saying  that  he  himself  was  a  Fifth  Monarchy 
man,  and  that  he  used  his  commission  but  as  a 
means  to  hasten  the  coming  of  the  kingdom  ?  — 
hoping,  without  doubt,  to  cut  out  some  deal  of 
wealth  for  himself  by  means  of  our  swords. 
'Twas  naught  to  us  whether  the  malignant  Pen- 
ruddock  lived  or  died  :  but  there  were  moneys 
to  be  gotten  from  him  ;  he  did  offer  Crook 
five  hundred  pounds  for  liberty  ;  yet  did  Crook 
start  aside  like  a  broken  bow,  preferring  the 
favor  of  Cromwell  before  the  glory  of  the  Lord. 
Wherefore  did  we  admonish  this  glazing  Judas, 
using  great  plainness  of  speech  in  the  matter  ; 
but  he,  being  stiff-necked  and  utterly  delivered 
to  Satan,  broke  out  into  a  mighty  heat  of  anger, 
commanding  our  dismissal.  How  long,  O 
Lord  ! "  The  preacher  twisted  his  fingers  in 
his  beard,  turning  up  his  eyes.  "Silver  and 
gold  must  go  to  the  foundations  of  the  city  of 
the  kingdom,"  he  went  on,  in  a  high  monotone. 
*'  Her  walls  shall  be  of  precious  stones,  and  her 
towers  of  rubies.  The  wise  and  learned  shall 
dwell  therein;  to  them  shall  come  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth  for  wisdom.  But  we  be 
258 


The  Last  Notch  on  the  Score 

unlearned  and  ignorant  men,  fit  only  to  wield 
the  sword ;  what  can  we  do  save  hew  there- 
with the  corner-stones  for  the  habitations  of  the 
just  ?  .  .  .  Pay  us,  therefore,  and  we  will  serve 
you  ;  even  as  the  builders  of  the  Temple  wrought 
with  sword  on  hip." 

The  man  paused  and  wiped  his  forehead ; 
for  he  had  been  speaking  with  a  vehemence  that 
made  the  glasses  ring.  In  the  momentary 
silence  that  followed,  there  came  a  clatter  of 
hoofs  and  jingling  of  bridles  in  the  street,  and 
we  heard  the  outer  door  flung  open. 

Jacobus  leaped  to  his  feet.  "Crook,  by 
God  !  "  he  cried.  The  big  trooper  heaved  him- 
self up,  and  opened  the  door  as  the  latch  clicked. 
Jacobus  and  I  whipped  against  the  wall,  whence 
we  could  espy  Crook  through  the  crack  of  the 
door. 

"  What,  Gilroy  !  "  said  he.  "Stand  aside, 
sirrah,  stand  aside,  or  I  will  put  a  bullet  in  your 
head.  I  am  about  searching  the  house." 

Gilroy,  who  was  girt  with  a  great  broad- 
sword, drew  it  with  such  suddenness  that  Crook 
leapt  back  a  pace  to  avoid  a  blow. 

"  Out  o'  this,  Beelzebub,"  thundered  the 
259 


Captain  Jacobus 

trooper.  "Or,  by  the  Twelve  Tribes  of  Israel, 
I  will  chop  you  into  gobbets  !  Y'  are  no  better 
than  a  dead  man,  Crook  !  Call  your  men," 
he  bellowed.  "  Call  'em  in,  man,  and  behold 
and  see  if  they  will  draw  sword  on  brethren-in- 
the-Lord." 

We  heard  the  outer  door  clap,  and  the  tram- 
ple of  retreating  hoofs.  Gilroy  rolled  in  again, 
shutting  the  door  upon  the  astonished  folk  in 
the  tap-room,  filled  his  tankard,  drank  it  off, 
and  regarded  the  Captain  with  a  grin. 

"  How  now  ?  "  said  he. 

"'Sblood,"  said  Jacobus,  "mighty  well 
done;"  and,  taking  out  a  fistful  of  coin,  he 
bestowed  it  on  Gilroy  ;  and,  spreading  a  hand- 
ful of  gold-pieces  on  the  table,  "  Handsel," 
said  he.  "A  crown  J  a  day  for  every  day  I 
do  remain  in  Exeter,  and  a  jacobus  each  at 
parting,  to  serve  me  as  body-guard.  What  say 
you  ?  Shall  we  strike  a  bargain  ?  " 

The  country  gentleman,  having  served  his 
turn,  had  vanished  in  a  twinkling  ;  and  Jacobus, 
himself  again,  upright,  alert,  with  a  valiant  eye 

1  The  regulation  pay  of  a  trooper  was  two 
shillings  per  diem. 

260 


The  Last  Notch  on  the  Score 

and  the  port  of  a  commander,  stood  in  his  place. 
The  men  stiffened  to  attention  as  if  upon  parade, 
and  saluted. 

"Why,  very  well,"  said  Jacobus.  "Let 
me  know  your  names." 

The  preacher  gave  his  name  as  Robert  War- 
renwel]  ;  the  burly  Gilroy  was  christened 
Joshua  ;  while  the  third  man  was  known  as 
Skillard  the  Rider.  The  Captain  ordered  them 
to  hire  horses  (Skillard,  it  seemed,  possessed  a 
nag  of  his  own),  and  to  present  themselves  at 
our  inn  at  nine  of  the  clock  the  next  morning. 

When  we  returned  thither,  we  found  the 
lights  out,  the  shutters  up,  and  the  door  barred  ; 
but,  upon  knocking,  the  landlord  himself  opened 
instantly  to  us.  After  locking  and  bolting  the 
door  again,  with  the  most  particular  care,  he 
took  the  candle  in  his  shaking  hand,  and  sur- 
veyed us.  The  hoary,  fat  old  man  looked  as 
though  he  had  seen  a  spirit :  his  lips  were  trem- 
bling, his  cheeks  fallen  in,  and  his  eyes  wild. 

"What  the  devil  ails  the  man?"  asked 
Jacobus. 

"Zurs,  zurs,"  said  the  innkeeper,  "who  be 
ye  to  bring  a  old  honest  man's  house  into  dis- 
261 


Captain  Jacobus 

repute,  and  his  life  into  danger!  'Twas  ill 
done,  zurs,  't  was  ill  done.  I  had  sooner  than 
forty  pounds  I  had  never  set  eyes  on  ye.  Life- 
lekins  !  Have  I  lived  through  the  civil  broils 
to  be  hanged  on  account  of  two  bloody  rebel- 
lious Cavaliers,"  he  wailed. 

"  Come,  come,  sirrah,  keep  a  civil  tongue, 
and  explain  matters,"  said  Jacobus,  sitting  down 
on  the  table. 

"Explain!  'Tis  for  you  to  explain,  I 
d'  think,"  returned  the  old  man,  querulously. 
"  No  zooner  do  you  be  gone  out  o'  house  to- 
night, than  a  half-a-company  o'  dragoons,  or 
thereabout,  cometh  tinking  o'  horsebarck  down 
street,  and  'a  stampeth  in  and  arxes  for  landlord. 
'  I  be  he,'  says  I,  whereon  Captain  putteth 
pistol  to  my  head  and  saith  he,  '  Hast  a  couple 
of  Cavaliers  lodging  here?'  says  he,  ''Tis  a 
hanging  matter,  I  warn  ye,'  says  he  ;  '  for  they 
be  two  bloody  conspirators  against  Government.' 
'Swouns,  not  I,'  I  says.  '  Whutt  be  loike, 
then,'  I  arxed  him.  «  A  middle-sized  man  wi' 
a  long  nose  and  a  devilish  countenance,'  'a  saith, 
'  and  a  girt  yoong  man  above  sax  feet  o'  stature, 
wi'  a  red  face  and  no  be-ard,'  says  he.  '  Swounz, 
262 


The  Last  Notch  on  the  Score 

Captain/  I  says.  « I  do  believe  that  two  zuch 
did  coom  in  to  drink  a  toss  o'  Hollands  about 
five  o'  th*  clock,  and  out  again,'  says  I.  '  Which 
wai  did  they  goo,'  arxed  he.  'I  marked  them 
not,'  I  zed;  whereat  he  cursed  me  up  and 
down,  and  trampled  all  over  houze,  he  and  his 
soldiers.  'If  y'  'ave  lied,'  'a  saith,  'you  shall 
swing  for  't,  by  God.  Give  me  a  cup  of  Rhen- 
ish,' and  'a  drank  it  down  and  went  away,  and 
never  paid  a  groat.  Zurs,  get  you  gone,  I  d' 
beg  and  pray  of  ye ;  and  the  Lord  forgive  ye 
that  ye  ever  coom  anigh  a  old  man  as  never  did 
ye  any  harm." 

"What,  man  !"  cried  Jacobus,  "pluck  up 
heart.  Y'  are  not  hanged  yet,  nor  never  will 
be,  I  '11  wager.  Y'  have  done  the  best  day's 
work  as  ever  in  your  life ;  y'  have  saved  the 
lives  of  two  o'  the  King  his  Majesty's  most  pre- 
cious subjects,  and  ye  shall  not  lose  by  that. 
Content  you  :  we  will  ride  betimes  to-morrow. 
Now  reckon  up  the  score,  and  set  a  price  on 
thy  alarums." 

Something  pacified,  the  innkeeper  ciphered 
out  the  score  in  chalk  upon  the  panelling  ;  and 
Jacobus  (who  must  have  made  mighty  profita- 
263 


Captain  Jacobus 

ble  use  of  his  time  during  my  absence  overseas) 
paid  him  double. 

"  God  save  you,"  said  our  host,  completely 
consoled  and  beaming.  "By'r  Lady,  y' are 
two  of  the  prettiest  civil  gentlemen  as  ever  I 
served  o'  my  life.  Hark  ye,  zurs,"  said  he, 
creasing  his  face  into  innumerable  wrinkles,  "  I 
would,  wi'  all  my  heart,  the  King,  God  bless 
him,  were  to  come  home  again,  and  the  bloody 
Army  and  their  General  at  the  black  devil. 
Zed  I  to  Captain,  '  Swouns,  not  I,'  I  says," 
and  the  old  man  was  taken  with  a  fit  of  chuck- 
ling ;  and,  going  upstairs  ahead  of  us  to  light  us 
to  our  chamber,  he  kept  repeating,  with  an  in- 
finite zest,  fragments  of  his  momentous  conver- 
sation with  the  baffled  Crook.  "  '  Hast  a  couple 
o'  bloody  Cavaliers  lodging  here  ? '  arxed  he. 
'  Swouns,  not  I,'  says  I ;  "  and  when  our  host 
closed  the  door  behind  him,  we  could  hear  him 
chuckling  still  as  he  stumped  down  the  passage. 

The  morrow  was  to  bring  forth  the  last  of 
my  adventures  with  Jacobus,  —  a  final  pitch  of 
the  dice  with  Fortune  ;  before  the  sun  had  set 
we  should  have  cut  ourselves  free  of  the  coils  of 
conspiracy,  or  another's  sword  should  have 
264 


The  Last  Notch  on  the  Score 

freed  us  entirely  from  earthly  doings.  The 
thought  of  it  ran  in  my  dreams  all  night,  with  a 
clash  and  sparkle  of  swords  ;  and  now  the 
balance  dipt  one  way  and  now  another.  Once 
Jacobus  and  I,  our  enemy  slain  behind  us,  and 
trouble  at  an  end,  would  be  riding  swiftly 
through  the  mellow  dark  towards  a  golden  dawn- 
ing ;  and  again,  I  would  be  smitten  with 
a  sharp  stroke,  taste  the  agony  of  death,  and 
be  suddenly  filled  with  the  despair  of  loss 
irrevocable. 

But  I  awoke  with  the  chiming  of  bells  in  my 
ears;  'twas  no  more  than  the  Cathedral  clock 
striking  ;  nevertheless,  I  took  it  as  a  good  omen, 
and  sprang  up,  fit  to  face  the  world. 

Jacobus  was  slumbering  on  his  pallet  like  a 
child.  Under  the  magic  touch  of  sleep,  a  sub- 
tle change  had  passed  upon  his  face  ;  something 
had  gone  from  it ;  and,  instead,  something  of 
the  man's  inner  spirit  that  smouldered  beneath 
the  rough  fabric  of  robbery,  fighting,  and  antic 
mummery  of  which  his  life  was  made  up,  peered 
forth.  I  stood  a  paternoster-while  perusing  the 
time-scarred  countenance,  but  I  had  no  eyes  to 
decipher  it.  Had  I  not  been  my  mother's  son, 
265 


Captain  Jacobus 

perhaps  I  had  not  perceived  so  much  as  I  did. 
I  wondered  idly  whether  there  lived  the  woman 
who  could  have  read  that  inscrutable  gallant, 
crafty,  generous  riddle  Jacobus  the  Highway- 
man, Sir  Clipsely  Carew  the  Cavalier.  I  know 
now  that  such  an  one  there  was  j  and  that  she 
was  dead. 

Unwilling  to  arouse  Jacobus,  I  leaned  my 
elbows  on  the  sill,  thrusting  head  and  shoulders 
out  of  the  open  casement.  Our  room  was  a 
garret  chamber,  and  the  window  commanded 
an  ascending  field  of  roofs,  brown  thatch,  or  red, 
shining  tiles,  with  the  smoke  drifting  and  curl- 
ing from  the  chimneys  ;  beyond  the  huddled 
houses  rose  the  great,  broken  rampart  of  Rouge- 
mont  Castle,  over  which  white  clouds  came 
lifting  in  ranks,  with  now  and  again  a  flying 
wisp  of  gray  vapor  like  a  puff  of  smoke.  The 
wind  bore  odors  of  the  country  mist,  with  a 
briny  tincture  from  the  sea  ;  and,  presently, 
there  came  the  thin  shrilling  of  a  trumpet. 
Captain  Crook,  in  Rougemont  Castle,  was 
sounding  boot-and-saddle. 

A  few  minutes  later,  armed  and  equipped, 
we  were  devouring  a  hasty  breakfast  ;  and,  before 
266 


The  Last  Notch  on  the  Score 

we  had  finished,  hoofs  rang  in  the  street,  and 
our  whole  army  drew  up  at  the  door.  We 
contemplated  the  troopers  through  the  window, 
sitting  in  the  saddle  like  statues,  carbine  on  thigh, 
and  toes  turned  in  ;  perfectly  equipped  in  bright 
steel  cap,  gorget,  back  and  breast,  great  boots 
and  winking  spurs  ;  the  horses  groomed  to  a 
marvel,  the  sun  gleaming  upon  glossy  haunch 
and  shoulder. 

"  Had  I  a  hundred  times  as  many,  there 
would  be  doings,"  quoth  Jacobus,  with  his 
mouth  full  of  pasty. 

The  landlord,  fidgety  already  as  a  hen  with 
ducklings,  could  scarce  contain  himself  at  sight 
of  this  new  portent,  and  saw  us  forth  with  beni- 
sons,  and,  I  doubt  not,  the  most  pious  inward 
thanksgivings. 

Jacobus  took  his  place  on  the  right  front,  as 
Captain ;  while  I  rode  upon  the  left,  in  the 
senior  corporal's  position. 

"Rank  entire.  Right  wheel.  Forward," 
shouted  the  commanding  officer  ;  and  we  paced, 
jingling,  down  the  street  and  wheeled  into  the 
High  Street. 

From  the  Castle  on  the  hill-top  sounded  the 
267 


Captain  Jacobus 

Tuequet  (warning  for  a  march)  ;  a  minute 
later,  from  out  the  shadow  of  the  Archway 
issued  a  flash  of  steel  and  scarlet ;  and  a  knot 
of  horsemen,  with  a  black-bearded  man  at  their 
head,  came  riding  down  the  hill  towards  us. 
Jacobus  halted  instantly.  Fortune,  in  hastening 
the  event,  was  already  befriending  us.  We 
were  abreast  of  the  court-house,  I  remember, 
with  its  arched  and  columned  front  designed  in 
the  Italian  manner.  The  people  in  the  street 
began  to  stop  and  stare,  but  took  us,  of  course, 
for  Crook's  own  troopers.  So,  doubtless,  did 
Crook  himself;  for,  until  he  and  his  four  men 
were  well  within  pistol-shot,  he  did  not  appear 
to  remark  us.  Then  I  saw  his  face  change 
suddenly.  Crying  "halt,"  and  reining  up 
his  horse,  he  whipped  out  a  pistol  and  fired. 
Jacobus  swerved,  and  the  ball  struck  upon  the 
plated  breast  of  Joshua  Gilroy,  and  glanced  off. 

"  What,  ho  !  brethren,"  roared  the  trooper. 
"Wouldst  see  old  Gilroy  murdered.  Seize 
the  traitor,  brothers." 

But  before  the  words  were  out  of  his  mouth, 
Jacobus  had  flung  his  pistol  in  Crook's  face  and 
was  charging  down  upon  him  with  naked  blade 
268 


The  Last  Notch  on  the  Score 

uplifted.  Swift  as  his  assailant,  Crook  had 
drawn  his  sword  ready  to  strike,  but  the  fury  of 
the  onset  caused  his  horse  to  rear,  and  his  blow 
fell  harmless.  With  a  level  sweep  of  his  sword 
Jacobus  cut  deep  into  the  dragoon's  neck,  just 
above  the  stiff  collar  of  the  buff  coat,  and  the 
man  swayed  and  toppled  sideways.  I  spurred 
up  to  Jacobus'  side,  and  for  a  moment  we 
both  fought  desperately  with  Crook's  troopers. 
But  our  own  soldadoes  pushed  into  the  fray, 
shouting  to  their  comrades  to  desist,  and  dealing 
great  blows  with  the  flat  of  their  broadswords. 
There  was  a  mighty  din  and  confusion,  and 
holloing  and  running  together  of  people ;  and 
our  assailants  began  to  give  back.  Perhaps  they 
were  not  entirely  desirous  of  taking  us  ;  at  any 
rate,  although  blows  were  falling  like  hail,  I 
saw  no  one  hurt ;  and  Gilroy  and  Skillard  were 
grinning  broadly  above  the  chin-strap.  Jacobus 
backed  his  horse  out  of  the  press  ;  I  followed 
instantly,  and,  wheeling,  we  struck  spurs  in  and 
galloped  full  tilt  down  the  street  and  out  of  the 
East  Gate. 

The    wind  whistled  past  our  ears,  and  the 
horses  settled  into  their  stride  ;  we  thought  we 
269 


Captain  Jacobus 

were  clean  escaped  ;  when  we  heard  the  drum 
of  hoofs  behind  us.  Looking  back,  we  saw 
Skillard  the  Rider,  on  his  huge  bay  stallion, 
gaining  on  us  at  every  step  ;  I  have  never  seen 
such  a  devil  of  a  nag  as  he  rode  that  day. 
There  was  no  use  in  racing,  and  we  drew  rein 
in  the  little  village  of  Heavitree,  and  stopped  at 
the  alehouse.  Skillard  came  up  at  a  full  gallop, 
pulled  his  lathering  horse  on  its  haunches,  and 
saluted.  Methought  the  situation  was  a  trifle 
difficult. 

"  y  have  a  good  nag,"  remarked  Jacobus. 
"  Will  you  sell  him  ?  " 

"Not  I,  sir,  by  your  good  leave,"  returned 
the  Rider.  "  You  see  he  is  mighty  useful  on 
occasions." 

"  And  why  the  devil  are  the  other  men  not 
here  ?  "  demanded  Jacobus,  fiercely. 

"They  await  orders,  Captain,"  returned 
Skillard,  eying  him.  "  This  is  a  pretty  busi- 
ness. There  will  be  a  noise." 

«« 'Sblood,"  said  Jacobus.  "  The  orders  are, 
Dismiss.  I  have  slain  your  backsliding  murder- 
ing Captain,  you  see ;  wherefore  go  to,  go 
rejoin  your  company.  Y'  have  done  very  well, 
270 


The  Last  Notch  on  the  Score 

for  a  parcel  of  bloody  Roundheads.  Here  is 
wages,  all  as  agreed,  is  it  not  so  ?  With  a  piece 
or  so  for  liquor.  Give  you  good- den,  till  we 
meet  again,  as  may  befall,  for  I  am  often  on 
the  road." 

The  man,  still  staring,  murmured  a  word  of 
thanks,  took  the  money  with  an  air  of  great 
dubiety,  and  saluted  mechanically  as  we  rode 
away.  Looking  back,  we  saw  that  he  had 
wheeled  his  horse,  and  was  still  gazing  after  us, 
the  sun  beating  down  on  his  mailed  figure,  and 
the  steam  from  his  horse  going  up  in  a  cloud 
about  him. 


271 


XVIII 

THE   INEVITABLE 


on  a  Friday  that  Jacobus  and  I 
JL  quitted  Exeter,  and  by  Monday  evening 
at  sunset  we  were  riding  into  Over  Wallop  vil- 
lage, having  travelled  by  way  of  Winchester, 
where  (borrowing  moneys  from  Jacobus)  I  had 
gotten  me  wedding  attire,  and  the  ring,  which 
the  Captain,  with  his  customary  gratuitous  ef- 
frontery, insisted  on  purchasing  from  Mr.  Jede- 
diah  Dickenson. 

The  village  lay  among  meadows  and  groves 
in  a  fair  and  rich  country  ;  the  rooks  were  lei- 
surely sailing  and  cawing  above  the  trees  ;  the 
bells  were  chiming  to  evensong  ;  the  light  air 
enfolded  the  place  like  a  dream  ;  and,  after  the 
grief  and  the  turmoil,  '  t  was  like  the  entrance 
into  a  charmed  land.  Dismounting  in  the 
Rose  Garland,  we  exchanged  buff  coat  and 
272 


The  Inevitable 

boots  for  doublet  and  buckled  shoon ;  and,  our 
host  informing  us  that  'twas  a  Saint's  Day, 
and  that  as  his  reverence  the  Dean  would  be 
reading  prayers  even  now,  doubtless  his  house- 
hold would  be  at  the  church,  we  set  off  thither. 
The  city  had  lately  risen,  it  seemed,  upon 
Cromwell's  Independent,  and  kicked  him  forth 
to  hammer  his  spiritual  pots  elsewhere,  so  that 
the  Dean  once  more  enjoyed  his  living.  The 
weather-stained,  tiny  church,  with  lichened 
roof  and  square  tower  night-capped  with  red 
tiles,  stood  upon  a  knoll,  secluded  among  trees  ; 
a  clump  of  yews,  on  either  side  the  path,  rooted 
among  the  bones  that  lay  beneath  the  crowded, 
bricky  tombs,  interlaced  their  branches  and 
made  a  dusky  vestibule  to  the  little  porch,  so 
low  that  we  must  doff  our  hats  and  stoop. 

We  entered  and  sat  down  near  the  door. 
Barbara,  with  Mrs.  Mariabellah  Curie  and  Mrs. 
Beatrice,  kneeled  at  the  bench  fronting  the  chan- 
cel ;  an  upright,  little,  white-haired  clergyman 
in  surplice  and  scarlet  hood  was  reading  evening 
prayers  ;  there  was  no  one  else  in  the  building. 
As  we  crossed  the  threshold,  Barbara  turned 
her  head  and  looked  at  me  a  moment  across  the 
18  273 


Captain  Jacobus 

golden  dimness  that  filled  the  place,  and  a  fancy 
came  into  my  head  that  her  swift  glance  was 
the  division,  thin  and  trenchant  as  a  sword,  set 
between  the  old  life  and  the  new.  The  par- 
son's voice  ran  musically  in  my  ears,  and  I  fell 
into  a  muse  ;  Jacobus,  to  whom  the  forms  of 
devotion  represented  an  etiquette  due  to  Church 
and  King  to  be  strictly  performed  upon  occa- 
sion, kneeling  devoutly  resolute  beside  me. 

I  beheld,  with  a  sort  of  pitying  contempt, 
the  long,  stupid,  happy,  ignorant  years  of  the 
youth  who,  wrapt  in  sweet  illusion,  walked 
gayly  up  and  down  a  pleasance,  dreaming  that 
its  pleached  hedges  circumscribed  the  world ; 
until  within  the  past  month,  when  fate,  forcing 
a  sword  into  his  hand,  had  flung  him  neck  and 
heels  into  the  world's  actual,  calamitous  battle- 
field, where  death  winds  always  in  and  out,  and 
the  crying  of  the  wounded  mingles  with  call  of 
tucket  and  roll  of  drum,  to  reckon,  for  the 
first  time,  the  price  ambition  pays,  and  to 
count  himself  singularly  fortunate  if  he  might 
no  more  than  guard  his  honor  unchipped  through- 
out the  mel£e.  The  future  stretched  before 
me  in  the  image  of  the  uncharted  sea  upon 
274 


The  Inevitable 

which  we  were  about  to  set  sail,  that  broke  so 
immeasurably  far  away  upon  the  shores  of  a 
perilous  wilderness,  whither  I  was  bound  with 
one  beside  whose  welfare  I  weighed  my  own 
as  a  grain  of  dust ;  for  a  single  freezing  moment 
I  contemplated  the  whole  possibilities  of  that 
appalling  enterprise,  then  took  hold  upon  it 
with  what  hope  and  resolution  I  could  muster ; 
and  the  benediction  brought  my  meditations  to  a 
fit  conclusion. 

Our  greetings  over,  we  all  went  to  sup  at  the 
Vicarage,  where  we  found  Mr.  Phelps,  rosy, 
jolly,  and  bursting  with  good  humor.  We 
made  the  oddest  party  :  the  three  prettiest 
ladies,  I  vow  and  swear,  to  bless  God  for,  in 
all  broad  England  ;  a  Dean,  a  Highwayman,  a 
Mayor,  and  an  outlawed  Cavalier ;  neverthe- 
less, 'twas  the  pleasantest  and  the  most  festivous 
meeting  in  the  world.  The  Dean  and  his 
ladies  made  us  mighty  good  cheer;  we  ex- 
changed the  tale  of  our  adventures  ;  and  the 
long  evening  went  by  like  a  peal  of  bells. 
When  we  were  about  to  take  our  leave,  Jacobus 
produced  two  small  leathern  caskets  from  his 
doublet,  and,  holding  them  in  his  hand,  deliv- 
275 


Captain  Jacobus 

ered  himself  of  the  following  romantical  state- 
ment. 

"  My  excellent  friend  and  comrade,  Mr. 
Anthony  Langford,  hath  of  purpose  omitted 
one  particular  in  his  relation  of  the  conversa- 
tion he  was  privileged  to  hold  with  His  Most 
Sacred  Majesty  the  King,"  began  Jacobus,  with 
such  an  air  that  the  ancient,  tapestried  room 
became  at  once  transformed  as  it  were  into  a 
Royal  antechamber ;  while  we  ourselves  felt 
that  we  were  actors  in  a  state  ceremonial.  The 
ladies  rose  and  courtesied,  the  very  moment  the 
Dean  and  his  worship  the  Mayor  stood  up.  I 
looked  at  the  orator  in  some  astonishment,  for  I 
had  omitted  nothing  in  my  recital,  —  nothing, 
that  is,  that  was  meet  for  ladies'  ear  ;  but, 
catching  the  slightest  contraction  of  his  eyelid, 
I  composed  my  face  to  an  intelligent  gravity. 
"Our  Royal  Master,"  went  on  Jacobus,  with 
solemn  relish,  "  hath  never  forgot  the  slightest 
service  rendered  to  him  by  the  least  among  his 
subjects  ;  yet  hath  he  a  spirit  so  rare  and  kindly, 
and  withal  of  such  subtle  discrimination,  that  oft 
he  alloweth  a  loyal  deed  to  go  unrecompensed, 
thus  bestowing  upon  the  doer  the  high  privilege 
276 


The  Inevitable 

of  serving  him  with  a  zeal  unalloyed  by  merce- 
nary considerations.  Thus,  when  Mr.  Langford 
had  the  honor  to  recount  to  His  Majesty  the 
generosity  of  Mrs.  Mariabellah  Curie  and  Mrs. 
Beatrice  Young  in  coming  to  the  relief  of  his 
messengers  in  their  extremity,  with  the  gift  of 
a  horse,  —  a  service  that  might  —  although  it 
did  not  —  that  might,  I  swear,  have  gained  a 
kingdom,  —  the  King,  I  say,  charged  Mr. 
Langford  with  the  following  message.  '  Tell 
Captain  Jacobus,'  saith  His  Majesty,  '  to  seek 
out  these  ladies,  and  to  say  to  them  that  their 
sovereign  in  exile  lieth  under  an  infinite  obliga- 
tion to  them,  that  'tis  his  saddest  misfortune  to 
behold  his  loving  subjects'  devotion  unrequited, 
and  his  chiefest  consolation  that  they  are  proud 
and  fain  to  serve  him  for  nought.  Request  the 
Captain,  also,'  so  went  the  message,  —  ( request 
the  Captain  to  convey  to  Mrs.  Mariabellah 
Curie  and  to  Mrs.  Beatrice  Young  these  trinkets 
— '  "  Jacobus  opened  the  cases,  and  took  from 
each  a  jewelled  bracelet  —  "«  and  to  inform  them 
that  the  King  craves  their  acceptance  of  these 
trifles,  as  a  token  that,  at  least,  His  Majesty  is 

277 


Captain  Jacobus 

not  all  ungrateful,'  "  and  Jacobus  clasped  a  brace- 
let on  each  white  wrist. 

The  ladies  flushed  and  exclaimed  with  pleas- 
ure, and  kissed  the  Captain  heartily  on  both 
cheeks  ;  which,  indeed,  he  deserved,  for  '  t  was 
a  neat  device  for  providing  the  bridesmaids' 
presents  in  a  manner  most  pleasing  to  them ;  a 
matter  which  had  exercised  me  sorely,  for  in 
my  miserable  destitution  I  could  afford  none. 
Certainly  the  Captain  enjoyed  exceptional  op- 
portunities ;  for  when  the  girls  handed  me  the 
trinkets  to  admire,  I  discerned  the  maker*  s  name 
graven  inside,  J.  Dickenson,  Winchester. 

"  Madam,"  went  on  the  Captain,  turning  to 
Barbara  with  a  profound  bow,  "  't  is  not  the 
usage  for  a  wedding-guest  to  come  empty-handed 
to  the  marriage  ;  I  crave  your  pardon  for  so 
doing  ;  but  the  gift  I  had  the  honor  to  design 
for  you  is  something  cumbrous,  so  that  for  con- 
venience' sake  I  did  despatch  it  to  the  care  of 
Mr.  Phelps's  agent  in  Southampton." 

Whereupon  Barbara  kissed  Jacobus  also  ;  and 
soon  after  he  and  I  repaired  to  our  inn.  When 
we  came  to  open  the  heavy  iron  chest  on  ship- 
board, we  found  it  stuffed  full  of  silver-gilt  and 
278 


The  Inevitable 

silver  plate,  —  a  gift  fit  for  a  princess,  —  all 
marked  J.  Dickenson,  Winchester  ;  whence  I 
concluded  that  't  was  Mul-Sack's  booty,  which 
the  Captain  had  somehow  discovered  and  confis- 
cated. '  T  was  a  sweet  revenge  upon  me,  although 
at  first  I  marvelled  that  a  King's  officer  should 
utilize  his  privileges  for  private  benefaction  ;  but 
presently  concluded  that  the  Captain  had  set  it 
down  as  no  more  than  a  just  remuneration  for 
my  services.  For  long  I  scrupled  to  tell  my 
wife  the  history  of  her  wedding-present  ;  and 
when  I  did  so,  she  thought  it  an  excellent  jest, 
which  (I  remember)  surprised  me  at  the 
time. 

During  the  evening  Mr.  Phelps  handed  me  a 
letter,  superscribed  to  myself,  which,  he  said, 
had  come  with  his  own  mails  from  Flanders. 
As  it  elucidated  more  than  one  mysterious  mat- 
ter, I  read  the  epistle  aloud ;  and  here  sub- 
join it. 

COLOGNE,  AT  THE  SIGN  OF  A  PEACOCK  IN  A  CIRCLE. 

Eleventh  April,  1655. 

SIR, — This  is  to  inform  you,   at  the  King's 
desire,  as  I  knew  your  address  (though  I  would 
279 


Captain  Jacobus 

willingly  have  written  of  my  own  intention)  of 
certain  singular  disclosures  which  have  lately 
come  to  light  at  the  Court  of  our  Royal  Master 
here  in  Cologne,  in  case  a  knowledge  of  the  par- 
ticulars thereof  may  stead  you  towards  the  regaining 
of  your  estate,  that  was  so  treacherously  lost,  of 
which  you  did  tell  me  when  we  had  the  happi- 
ness to  converse  together  on  shipboard.  Your 
false  friend,  Mr.  Manning,  of  whom  you  spoke, 
whom  all  here  set  down  as  no  more  than  a  prag- 
matical empty  busy-body,  hath  been,  it  now 
appears,  playing  the  common  spy  since  the  day 
of  his  arrival.  He  came  hither  at  first  and  with 
a  letter  of  introduction  from  Dr.  Earles,  his  uncle, 
and  prating  much  of  his  friendship  with  my  Lord 
of  Pembroke,  endeavoring  to  insinuate  himself 
to  become  the  King' s  Privado  by  every  day  taking 
him  the  "Duernal"  to  read,  which  he  regularly 
received  from  London  ;  and  in  this  he  so  far  suc- 
ceeded that  His  Majesty,  from  regarding  him 
simply  as  his  "  Paper-boy  "  (as  he  said),  presently 
allowed  Mr.  Manning  to  mix  himself  in  the  un- 
happy Penruddock  business.  Upon  hearing  of 
the  latter' s  sad  conclusion,  the  King  returned 
immediately  to  Cologne  ;  and,  a  day  or  two  later, 
Manning,  who  had  been  absent  no  one  knew 
where,  also  returned  thither.  But,  in  the  mean- 

280 


The  Inevitable 

time,  the  King  had  received  a  letter  from  the 
Earl  of  Pembroke,  in  answer  to  one  of  his,  say- 
ing that  Manning  was  a  loose  person  of  no  repu- 
tation whom  he  had  discharged  from  his  service. 
Whereupon  His  Majesty's  suspicions  were 
awakened  }  and  hearing  moreover  that  Manning 
received  letters  continually  from  Antwerp,  and 
had  letters  of  credit  upon  a  merchant  there,  he 
despatched  a  trusty  messenger  to  intercept  his 
mails.  Thus,  no  sooner  had  Manning  returned 
with  his  accustomed  confidence,  than  this  man 
came  to  the  King  bringing  the  mails  of  three 
posts,  which,  being  opened,  were  found  to  con- 
tain letters  and  instructions  from  Cromwell  and 
Thurloe  to  Manning,  and  fabulous  disclosures  of 
imaginary  plots  from  Manning  to  the  govern- 
ment, with  requests  for  more  money.  For  a 
thousand  crowns  Manning  offered  to  put  them  in 
possession  at  last  of  the  whole  of  the  particulars  of 
what  he  was  pleased  to  call  the  Plymouth  Plot,  of 
which,  said  he,  he  spoke  when  he  was  last  in  Lon- 
don, which  we  found  in  the  later  of  the  three  mails. 
'T  was  a  sweet  design  for  the  surprise  and  taking 
of  Plymouth  ;  a  vessel  with  five  hundred  men  was 
to  come  to  certain  creek,  and,  upon  sign  given, 
such  a  place  in  the  town  should  be  seized  upon  by 
some,  whilst  others  should  possess  both  fort  and 

281 


Captain  Jacobus 

island.  At  the  same  time  were  to  arrive  —  and 
I  am  come  at  last  to  what  concerns  you,  dear 
sir  —  gentlemen  at  the  head  of  land  forces 
of  volunteers,  Sir  Hugh  Pollard  from  Devonshire, 
Colonel  Arundel  and  others  from  Cornwall,  and 
Mr.  Anthony  Langford  from  Wiltshire — "of 
which  dangerous  and  subtle  malignant  I  did  warn 
your  Excellency  at  our  last  meeting  — "  This 
ingenious  rascal,  Manning,  who,  I  profess,  is  a  most 
accomplished  scribbler,  did  even  describe  the  coun- 
cil held  by  the  King  when  this  famous  plot  was 
resolved  upon,  touching  smartly  upon  His  Maj- 
esty's gestures  and  behavior.  Upon  this  the  King 
did  send  two  of  his  servants  to  seize  upon  the 
caballer's  person  and  papers,  who  took  him  in 
Flagrante  Delicto,  in  his  chamber  writing  post- 
dated letters,  with  his  cipher  before  him,  and 
put  him  in  ward,  where  he  now  is.  He  loudly 
declares  his  innocency,  saying  that  he  saw  no 
harm  in  writing  particular  relations  of  what  never 
happened  ;  that,  in  fact,  he  was  doing  the  King  a 
service,  in  that  he  turned  the  attention  of  the 
government  from  the  true  course  of  events. 

I  hope  the  discovery  of  this  man's  double  fal- 
sity may  chance  to  avail  you  with  the  brewer ; 
and  if  it  should  fall  out  so,  I  am  heartily  glad  to 
have  been  of  service  to  you  5  but  I  fear  me  that 

282 


The  Inevitable 

Noll  is  little  likely  to  relinquish  what  he  hath  once 
clawed  hold  of. 

For  myself  and  my  wife  (who  desireth  to  be 
heartily  remembered  to  you)  we  are  certainly  dwell- 
ing amongst  persons  of  sense  and  quality,  and 
should,  I  do  suppose,  count  ourselves  happy;  yet  life 
is  at  present  one  long  Duello,  for  these  gentlemen 
of  the  Court,  from  my  Lord  of  Rochester  —  I 

dare  not  say  the  K g  —  to  the  vile  Cheffinch, 

all   cherish    the  same    singular    delusion,    that   a 
man's  wife  is  every  one's  property  but  his  own. 
I  am,  sir, 

Your  most  obedient  and  willing  friend  to 
serve  you, 

RICHARD   HUMPHREYVILLE. 

But  the  "  singular  disclosures "  came  too 
late  to  be  of  service  ;  for,  after  the  Penruddock 
affair,  Cromwell  would  use  scant  courtesy  to 
Cavaliers  for  some  time  to  come. 

The  next  morning  we  were  married.  *T  was 
a  day  of  sunshine  and  chiming  bells  and 
emotion,  of  flowers  and  farewells.  Jacobus 
was  to  ride  with  us  to  Southampton  ;  and,  so 
soon  as  the  service  was  over,  we  three  took 
horse  at  the  churchyard  gate.  All  the  village 
283 


Captain  Jacobus 

was  gathered  together  in  holiday  attire  ;  and, 
looking  back,  we  saw  the  bright,  motley  crowd 
waving  their  hats,  and  listened  to  the  noise  of 
cheering  that  mingled  with  the  gay  clamor  of 
the  bells.  In  the  shadow  of  the  lich-gate  stood 
the  Dean  in  his  robes,  and  the  sturdy,  gray- 
bearded  figure  of  the  Mayor,  gazing  after  us,  and 
the  two  ladies,  fluttering  kerchiefs. 

Three  hours  or  so  of  riding  brought  us  out 
upon  the  downs  above  Southampton  town,  with 
its  thicket  of  ships'  masts  fringing  the  edge  of 
the  broad,  sparkling  water.  Jacobus  reined  up, 
and,  dismounting,  went  up  to  Barbara,  hat  in 
hand,  with  a  bow. 

"Farewell,  Mrs.  Langford,"  said  he  ;  and 
I  think  the  new  sound  of  the  title  gratified  both 
wife  and  husband.  '« I  wish  you  all  prosper- 
ity." He  would  have  kissed  her  hand,  but  she 
gave  him  her  cheek. 

"Come  down  and  sup  with  us,  man,"  said 
I,  "  or  at  least  crush  a  bottle  before  we  part." 

"  Not  I,"  returned  the  Captain,  mounting 
his  nag.  «« I  have  business  toward.  The  free- 
booter bids  you  adieu,  my  son." 

"Jacobus,'*  I  said,  *«y*  have  done  me  very 
284 


The  Inevitable 

much  kindness.  Tell  me,  why  did  you  so? 
Are  my  manners  and  conversation  so  engaging  ? 
I  should  like  to  think  it." 

"  Do  not  flatter  yourself,"  he  answered. 
«« I  have  only  to  remember  that  I  am  an  old 
friend  of  your  family,  as  it  were.  I  knew  your 
mother  ere  she  was  married."  His  glance  left 
mine,  rested  upon  Barbara  for  the  fraction 
of  a  second,  and  came  back  again.  I  looked 
aside,  for  'twas  like  spying  on  a  man's  secret 
unawares. 

Jacobus  held  out  his  hand  ;  I  grasped  it,  and 
we  parted  in  silence  ;  for  I  could  not  think  upon 
the  words  I  wanted.  So  my  wife  and  I  rode 
forward  ;  and  when  I  looked  back,  Jacobus  was 
gone. 


285 


PRINTED   BY  JOHN   WILSON   AND  SON   AT 

THE    UNIVERSITY    PRESS    IN    CAMBRIDGE 

DURING        MAY        M   DCCC   XCVI.         FOR 

STONE   AND   KIMBALL 

NEW   YORK 


DC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A     000021  186     2 


